Bedtime Stories
by Amy47101
Summary: "Mama, tell us a story!" "Alright, then. Once upon a time..." "No, Mom, tell it different!" "Different?" A series of bedtime stories slightly altered for the fun of it. Crystal in Neverland, a MangaQuestshipping version of Peter Pan.
1. The Monster and the Thief Part 1

"Mama, read us a story!" a small girl with black hair in a low ponytail cried out as she tumbled onto her mother's bed. The mother with long hair of the same shade and pale blue eyes smiled. She was fairly young for a mother of three, only twenty-eight years old. She closed her book of poetry, putting it aside, and leaned over the six-year-old.

"A story, Aini?" the woman asked with a teasing smile at the young girl. Her eldest child of eight years, a girl named Celina, hopped up on her hands and knees, grinning.

"I want a romantic story!" she cried out.

"A story? But isn't it bedtime for you three?" she asked as the woman stood, getting off the bed as she walked over to where her son was. She tapped her chin thoughtfully, faking ignorance as to his whereabouts, until she heard silent giggling. She ducked down, pulling up on the blanket and grinning. "Gotcha, Iri!" she exclaimed as her hand grasped a little ankle and dragged him out, laughing and kicking his other leg.

"Story, Mama, story!" She bent over and picked up her little boy, three years old. She pried a plastic action figure from his grasp, she carried him over to the queen sized bed, plopping him down with his sisters.

"What about bedtime? What kind of mother would be if I let you stay up past your bedtime?"

"The best kind!" the exclaimed in union. She sighed. How could she deny such cute faces?

"Alright, then." she leaned back in the pillows, smiling. "Once Upon a time..."

"No Mom!" Celina cried out. "Tell it different!"

"Different?"

"Tell us a story about... um..."

"Blue and Green!"

"Blue and Green?" she repeated, blinking. Slowly, she smiled, thinking about the two dexholders she briefly met when she and her husband had been invited to White's wedding a few years back. Blue was a bridesmaid, the one who kept teasing the bride and groom about their nervousness. Green, if she recalled, was in the audience, holding onto the hand of an equally loud and mischievous daughter.

"Alright, then." she smiled. "Blue and Green it is."

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Monster and the Thief_

 _Once upon a Pokéball,_ there was a handsome prince who ruled over a small amount of villages in the mountains. While being handsome was good and all, the prince was very cold and very selfish. His subjects very much hated him, so much that they loathed the color that was his namesake, green.

Prince Green Oak saw his subjects as obstacles in the way of gaining power, and he was more than willing to plow them down in order the achieve what he wanted.

One cold and snowy night, Prince Green was watching as his servants were setting up the Christmas decorations. He planned on throwing a huge ball in order to invite the rich from neighboring villages with hopes of impressing and discussing business deals and land negotiations. Only the best of the best would attend.

"Sir," the captain of his guards, Red, said, approaching him. "A woman has come selling roses."

"Send her away, we don't need any roses." Prince Green responded coldly, not taking his eyes off of Sapphire, one of his maids who was known for her... anger issues... as she carried a box of ornaments towards some of his other maids. Red nodded, turned on his heel, and left, only to return a few short moments later.

"She refuses to leave until she speaks with you directly, sir."

Green sighed in annoyance, running a hand down his face. He honestly did not have the time to deal with such trivial problems, but if he had to go and directly greet the woman in order to get rid of her, so be it.

Red led him through the corridors of his lavishly decorated castle until they reached the front foyer. He raised an annoyed eyebrow at the snow that littered the rugs. Slowly, his gaze moved up to a little old woman hunched over, cloak covering her form, a covered basket in her grasp. He narrowed his eyes at his head Chef, Diamond, feeding her one of the Poffins he had made with his elder sister, Daisy, standing beside her with a small smile on her face. Had he not told him those were exclusively for the guests of the ball?

The woman's head shifted upwards to look at him. Diamond glanced over his shoulder with a bright grin, Daisy offering a wave.

"Hi, sir!" he said cheerfully. Green closed his eyes, brow furrowed in irritation.

"Step away from the woman." he said. "Had I not told you specifically those were for those attending the ball? Don't go giving them to beggars."

"But-"

"Diamond." he said sharply. The young man gulped, then stepped back.

"Sorry sir." he murmured, moving to stand beside Red.

"You didn't have to be so harsh." Daisy murmured, taking her stand beside him.

"It doesn't matter. I'm the master of the house." Green responded curtly.

"The prince, I presume?" a raspy old voice asked.

"I am." Green said, turning his attention back to the old woman. He watched with mild interest as she shuffled into her basket and pulled out a single red rose, holding it up to him.

"Buy a flower from she who is most unfortunate?"

"I have no need for your useless flowers." Green responded coldly.

"Green!" Daisy chastised.

"I see..." she tucked the rose away. "Would you at least offer a room to this old, frail woman? A blizzard is on the horizon, and I fear I won't make it to morning if I travel in this weather."

"I don't know what I should be more insulted by." Green said, crossing his arms. "The fact that you came hobbling here trying to sell me useless roses or the fact that you had the _audacity_ to ask for room and board." he turned to Red. "Get her out of my sight."

"Green!" Daisy exclaimed in horror. Green glared at her.

"You hold no power here. As the eldest male, I reign supreme over you." he stated coldly. As much as he adored his older sister, she needed to know her place.

Green turned as Red stepped forward, an obviously uncomfortable look on his face as he tried to gently take the old woman out of the castle. Diamond looked like he wanted to say something, but simply bowed his head in submission. Suddenly, he heard Red cry out and saw his lead knight fly past him, landing painfully into a wall. Diamond let out a gasp of awe as Daisy screamed.

"Red?!" he exclaimed, looking from the unconscious knight to the old woman behind him. But instead of a hunched over old woman, he saw a beautiful young woman with midnight blue hair and platinum colored eyes, donned in a pale lilac dress with transparent sleeves with beautiful white wings coming out her back. Her disguise gone, she glared coldly at him.

"My name is Platinum, fairy of knowledge and the understander of all that exists," she said, the raspy voice replaced by a melodic one. "Yet I fail to understand why you so selfishly refused to help a woman in obvious need. Answer, Prince Green Oak, why were you so cold? Why did you not treat me with respect?"

Prince Green, for once in the short seventeen years of his life, was at a lost for words. He hadn't the slightest answer for the fairy. He simply prayed that, whatever she had planned, she would be a bit merciful on him and his soul.

"Please, Lady Platinum!" Daisy suddenly exclaimed, bowing low. "I know he's foolish! But he's good at heart, I swear! Please forgive him!"

The fairy's stern glare slowly turned into a humored smirk.

"Now you seek repentance? Pitiful." she murmured with her head bowed. "Prince Green Oak of Kanto, I curse you to be what you truly are on the inside. A selfish, cold, merciless _beast."_

"Wait!"

Platinum turned her gaze back to Daisy.

"I'll take his place. I'll be the beast!"

"Daisy!" he exclaimed, widening his eyes. Platinum cocked her head.

"No. But you will be his lifeline."

With a flash of light and a wave of overwhelming pain, Green felt himself change. Slowly, the pain faded, and he flopped on the ground, something akin to a fish, trying to figure out how to walk again.

"Prince Green?"

"Prince Green, are you unharmed?! Should I fetch Yellow?"

Green blinked at the two beings in front of him. Sure, he recognized the voices, but not the beings the voices were coming from. Instead of his chef blinking confusingly at him and his knight asking concerned questions, he saw a munchlax and a pikachu. Slowly, he moved his gaze to where they were. A pile of clothes sat there for each of them.

"Where's Daisy?" he asked, failing to see another pokémon around. The two looked back and forth. Red widened his eyes on a certain spot.

Slowly, he looked back to where the fairy was, but saw only a glowing daisy, small orbs of magic mockingly floating around it. Next to it was a beautiful silver mirror, glinting brightly.

" _Prince Green,"_ Platinum's voice echoed around them. _"I have cursed you. You are the beast the rules the domain. Your servants are the pokémon at your beck and call. Your sister, bless her soul, has become your lifeline. In order to break the curse you have to do but one simple task. Why, I even left you an enchanted mirror to help."_ he could practically see the smirk on her face. " _You have to get someone to fall in love with you in this form before the last petal on the daisy falls. If you do not, your sister will die and you and your servants will remain as you are now. I wish you luck."_

There was a long moment of silence as her voice faded out. Green felt his rage bubble and boil inside him.

 _Daisy...!_

And then he snapped.

o.0.o.0.o

Blue Ao was rather plain, when it came to appearances. With straight brown hair that fell to her mid back and average skin tone, she blended in with most of the average village girls in town. The only thing that she _really_ had going for her was her above average bright blue eyes.

But Blue Ao was not an average village girl.

For you see, Blue came from a family of mismatched kids, all taken from the street by their father, Masque de Glace. If that is what one wanted to call him. He constantly left his children to find some 'new and whimsical way' to make money. But Blue knew better.

Masque de Glace, overall, was a conman. And he had intended one thing and one thing alone for his children: thieves. Blue knew how to pick locks and was the best at sneaking around. She was trained that her pokémon were weapons instead of friends; though she treated them as friends. Blue loathed and hated Masque for his lies and cruelty. She, in fact, sought out for better work, thus getting a job a local tavern, though she did sometime return to her old way of thievery for old times sake.

"Why don't you just leave him already?"

Blue turned her attention to her friend, Jade Ishi. Jade was a very pretty young woman with pale blond hair and green eyes of her namesake. Though blind, she could handle herself well enough on her own, and if she ever needed help, she could just call upon her doting husband, Onyx.

"Hey-o! Guess who's home from a successful hunting trip!" Blue turned her attention to the young man who decided to so loudly make his presence known, and smiled.

"Hey Onyx," she smiled. "The usual?"

"Please." the brunette grinned, pecking his wife on the cheek before sitting down beside her. "There's a blizzard a-brewin'. What are we talking about?"

"Blue, and her lack of courage to leave Masqu." Jade said, closing her eyes.

"It's not lack of courage, per say," Blue said, placing a mug in front of Onyx. "But more of something along the lines of being unable to support myself and my brother on this meager salary."

Blue smiled fondly at the thought of her younger brother, a sixteen-year-old redhead who's kept a cold personality for as long as she could remember. Out of everyone in her 'family' she really only cared about Silver and his wellbeing. He, after all, sought out an honest living as well by working as a blacksmiths apprentice at the moment.

"We told you before," Onyx said, setting his mug down. "We'll take you in."

"I couldn't do that to you, though!" Blue said, shaking her head. She couldn't put her two friends at risk of a man like Masque especially Jade... "You've got enough trouble already, what with your little bundle of joy coming soon." Jade smiled lightly, a rare sight indeed, as she placed a hand on her large stomach. "Speaking of which, have you decided on names yet?"

"Olive if it's a girl and Pine if it's a boy." Onyx smiled.

"Aaw, cute." Blue smiled warmly. "Hows Opal?"

"As good a hunter as always." Onyx grinned. "Though she's still hanging around that _magician."_

"You only don't like him because he's older than her." Jade said calmly.

"My, my, quite the stickler, huh?" Blue cocked her head with her finger thoughtfully to her chin. "Isn't it just a two year age difference? Nothing _to_ scandalous if you ask me. That's pretty rare, having such a close age in these times.

"So?!" Onyx slammed his fist on the bar. "No one's taking my little sister away unless we go through some _serious_ evaluations!"

"Geez, he may not be a noble, but he's not a criminal." Blue rolled her eyes, taking an order than returning to her conversation.

"Even a prince wouldn't be good enough for her." Onyx said, crossing his arms with a huff. "I don't care if it was a god who proposed to her, he'd have to get _my_ approval first."

"At this rate, I'm never going to have a niece of a nephew." Jade sighed.

"We better not!" Onyx exclaimed. "God, prince, noble, or crazy magician, I'll murder the bastard who tries myself, I will!"

"Strange that Carnelian hasn't been scared off yet." Blue mused. "Anyways," she undid her apron and folded it up neatly. "I've got to go pick up Silver and head home to see if Masque is home and what he wants for dinner."

Grabbing her threadbare jacket, she gave a quick wave to the happy couple and walked out the door. It was only a short walk down the cobblestone streets until she saw her brothers bright red hair tied back in a ponytail and... a girl?

Yes, indeed, talking to her emotionless void of a brother was a girl with light brown hair pulled into pigtails, holding out a basket to him. Blue cocked her head to the side as the girl scampered into a building next door, leaving Silver with the basket. Silver continued to stare at the door as it shut behind her, giving her the perfect opportunity to sneak up on him.

"Wasn't that the bakers daughter? Soul, right?" she asked with a hint of laughter behind her voice. Silver flinched slightly, whipping around to look at her. Glancing at the breadrolls peeking out of the basket, Blue grinned. "It was! Do you _liiiiike_ her? Oh, am I gonna have little nieces and nephews running about?!"

"Shut up." Silver grumbled. "I didn't ask for these, she just gives them to me."

"Well then, she likes you!" Blue exclaimed as they began walking towards their little house. "Seriously, she's a good girl."

"I can't do that and you _know_ that. Masque would put her father out of business, wether through faulty business deals or constant lootings. Maybe when I get enough money to move out..."

"And we're gonna do that. I'll make sure of it." Blue nodded in promise, opening the door to the shack, noticing that some of her older adopted siblings gathered around the fire. Silver hurried up to his room to hide the basket, leaving Blue with her siblings.

Trying to think of something to say that would distract them long enough to buy time for Silver, Carl stood with a smirk.

"So, Blue." he said with a smirk as she turned away and hung up her jacket. "I wonder what Masque would think of your little friends from the bar."

"Well, one of them's not so little." Sham smirked. "How far into the pregnancy is she? Seven months? Eight?"

"I swear to Arceus almighty that if any of you even _approach_ them..." Blue trailed off, glaring a them.

"Dear, dear," Will said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Do give us mercy, we were only jesting!"

"Can't take a joke, dear?" Karen chuckled behind her hand. Blue glared. Karen sighed. "Seems not."

"Still being as moronic as always." Silver muttered, coming down the stairs and standing beside Blue.

The night followed by a long, heavy silence. Blue stared worriedly at the fire that crackled away in the fireplace, huddled under a blanket with Silver. Silently, she prayed that her older siblings wouldn't decide to tell Masque about Jade and Onyx. Nothing all that eventful happened. Her elder siblings talked about who they would rob tonight. Silver stiffened slightly when the mentioned the baker, though they quickly brushed the idea off as the baker 'was hardly worth robbing blind since he was poor enough to begin with'.

Suddenly, however, the door burst open with a flurry of snow and wind. Silver quickly jumped up to close it, somewhat desperate for an excuse to get away from the conversation, only to have a hand grab his shoulder.

"Let your father come in, my boy."

Everyone snapped their head up at the voice as a figure cloaked in black walked into the room.

"Father!" Karen and Will cried out gleefully.

"You're back." Sham said, relieved.

"I am." Masque said with a grin. "And I bring good news."

"There's a first." Silver muttered, moving back to sit next to Blue while their four older siblings fawned over Masque. Blue remained cold and stone-faced. She didn't trust a word from this mans mouth.

"Still don't believe me, you two?" Masque grinned, reaching into his pocket. "Perhaps," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of sparkling, glittering diamonds. "This will change your mind?"

Everyone gawked in awe at the gemstones. Those were no fakes, everyone knew. Three of those would be enough to get her and Silver out of this house, hell, out of this _town_ with money to spare.

"Where on earth did you get those?" Blue immediately asked.

"I didn't steal them, if that's what you're asking." he said with a smirk. "I'm much to intelligent for that. No, I made a little bargain."

"Bargain? With whom? And for what?"

"It's actually kind of funny, now that I think about it, but let me tell you." he grinned at them. "I was walking through the woods, and got terribly lost. I came upon a castle. I was let into a life of luxury by strange talking pokémon, who treated me as if I was a king. As a Pikachu dressed my wounds, I noticed the ornate decorations. They were old, mind you, but incredibly valuable. So I made up a little white lie about how I was in terrible financial ruins and how I had six children to raise on my own since my wife had died. Stupid fools took pity on me, and offered me an unlimited amount of jewels and gold, stuff they claimed to have no use for and just had laying around in bucketfuls."

His eyes glittered at the memory.

"But suddenly, the master of the house appeared." he shuddered slightly. "What a beast he was. A monster, through and through. But he said he'd give me all the wealth I'd ever wish for, if I only gave him one thing in return."

"What was that one thing, Masque?" Carl asked with a grin.

"That I give him the first thing I touch once I'm on my property."

There was a long pause. Then it hit Blue. She turned her gaze to Silver, who blinked in surprise.

"Oh... Oh dear." Masque said in mock pity. "My youngest son, it seems that thing is you!"

There was a long pause. Some of the four eldest congratulated Masque, telling them how they didn't need useless Silver and how they couldn't wait for a life of luxury. Masque shot her a cunning smile under the praise of his eldest children. Silver stood stock still, trying to figure out exactly what had happened. Blue narrowed her eyes. Was this a challenge?

...

She wouldn't let that bastard send her little brother off to a beast.

"Silver." she said coldly, lifting her chin to meet her father's gaze, resisting the urge to unleash her true hatred for the man whom called himself her father. "I'll take your place at the beasts castle."

o.0.o.0.o

"What happened? What happened?" Aini asked frantically, shaking her mothers arm. The woman smiled slightly.

"I can't tell you. Besides, look at your brother," she nudged the three-year-old, fast asleep against her arm. "He's fast asleep."

"But I wanna know what happens to!" exclaimed Celina.

"Maybe if you get ready for bed like the good little girls I know you are," the mother said with a smile, placing the book aside and scooping up Iri in her arms, watching as her daughters trailed behind her. "I'll read you the next part tomorrow night."

"Promise, Mama?" Aini asked, climbing into the bottom bunk of her bed while Celina went across the hall to her room after a brief hug. The six-year-old tried to hide a yawn, though ultimately failed as she climbed under the covers. The mother smiled.

Carefully cradling her son, she leaned down and pecked the small girl on the forehead.

"I promise."

o.0.o.0.o

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon.**

 **So, the polls are in and the voters tied between Specialshipping and Oldrivalshipping. Considering that Oldrival is easier for me to write, I say, lets start with that. I'm not sure if I should start this, what with my other stories, but I'm exited to continue it.**

 **Anyways, review, stay tuned, and don't forget to vote for the next shipping!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	2. The Monster and the Thief Part 2

The woman sighed as she walked into her children's bedroom, only to see vacant beds and missing stuffed animals. Knowing that the little goofballs would be around here somewhere. Shrugging her shoulders and throwing her hands up in defeat, she turned.

"I suppose we'll never find out what happens to Blue." she sighed, mocking sadness as she walked out the door.

"No, Mama, no!" Celina cried out, rushing out of the closet and latching onto her legs.

"Celina!" Aini cried out as Iri crawled out of the closet, uncaring that he also blew thier cover. "Oh, come on, not you too Iri!'

"Iri wants to know the story too." Celina giggled.

"Come on, you three." the woman said, scooping up Iri in her arms. "Aini, get the storybook for Mommy?"

Aini grumbled something under her breath, though scooped up the book and hurried after her mother and her siblings. Scrambling onto the king-sized mattress in her parents room, she passed the book to her mother and settled next to her, Celina on the other side and Iri in her lap.

"So continuing on," the woman said, opening the book. "So Blue had to leave her beloved brother and friends..."

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Monster and the Thief, Part Two_

To Blue, having to leave her village was a win-loose situation.

She finally got to leave Masque's controlling grip, but she had to leave her brother behind. She had a sickening feeling that was his plan the entire time. He knew he couldn't control her anymore, and he also knew that she was convincing Silver to break away as well. He also knew she would do anything, even giving up her own life, to protect him. He probably had some sick idea that if she was gone, he'd regain control of Silver.

She scoffed at that.

Silver was a smart boy. He could play his cards as good as, if not better, than her. He would continue work under the blacksmith, and, if she could be hopeful, he'd hook up with the bakers girl and they'd be living on their own somewhere.

She sighed, glancing over her clothes. She and Silver had treated this something akin to a funeral, whether intentionally or unintentionally. She had ended up in her long black dress, a simple thing, really, with a skirt reaching her ankles and straps that covered her soldiers, though not protecting her arms from the cold weather. To remedy that, she had pulled a brown cloak around her shoulders, long hair tied up in a bun and black boots on her feet.

"Blue..." Silver trailed of uncertainly as he eyed the ominous black carriage. There were bars on the windows, tattered curtains blocking world from seeing the inside, and judging by the fact that instead of wheels, there were these odd, spider like legs, she had a feeling the thing was enchanted.

Blue looked at Silver with a sad smile on her face. Silver was the only one outside to say goodbye, the others were to busy basking in their father's 'success'.

"Please, Blue, you don't have to do this."

"Yes, Silver, I do." Blue said.

"But what if that... that _thing_ tries to kill you?! You know the childhood legend, the one Soul reenacts all the time for the kids. About the beast who lives in a decrepit castle who eats everyone who dares to enter his property? What were you even _thinking?"_

"First off, he made a deal with Masque, correct? Either he was to disgusted with his presence and he wanted him to leave, or he thought he was unappetizing and didn't want to eat him. Second off, I wasn't thinking." Blue responded. "I want you to stay safe."

"Please, Blue, it's not worth it." he begged, completely ignoring the earlier jest about Masque being unappetizing. Blue raised her eyebrows. Silver was begging? Wow.

"Come here, you." she said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Silver immediately responded by returning the hug. For the first time since they were kids, Blue realized, Silver was actually hugging her back. Oh, Arceus... "Listen. If you need any help, I want you to go to Jade and Onyx. They'll provide you with shelter and protection. Masque is trying to get a reaction out of you so he can use that to his advantage. Just act as impassive and antisocial as always, okay?"

She felt him nod. Must be to afraid to speak if he's not saying anything back.

"I'll be fine, okay?" Blue stepped back, Silver furiously reaching up to rub his eyes. Blue smiled. Even when he was sixteen and she was nineteen, he was still just a little boy who wanted his big sister by his side. "I'm tougher than I look. Keep up the good work, and don't let Masque convince you of anything otherwise." she paused. "And for Arceus's sake, make a move on Soul!"

"Only you could joke at a time like this." Silver murmured, looking up at her. He glanced over his shoulder at the house, then scurried over to a bush and pulling something out. "Here." he held out a sheathed dagger to her. She took it, pulling the black an silver hilt from the brown sheath, admiring the pointed silver tip and the small sapphire adorning the hilt.

"It's beautiful." she murmured. "Did you forge this?"

"It took a while." as if to prove his point, he held up his hand, showing small burns from the sparks that burned through the gloves. "It was for Christmas, but since you're not gonna be here for the next one..."

"Daaaw, Silver, you're real sweet when you wanna be." she said, ruffling his hair. "Look, I got something for you, too." with her spare hand, she reached into her pocket and pulled out two pairs of gloves. "Look. Black for you and white for me." Silver glanced at them, taking them

"If he tries to do anything, kill him." Silver said, pulling them on. Blue rolled her eyes, pulling her gloves on with her teeth, not willing to tuck away the dagger from her brother. She tried to keep her jovial mood though she could feel her heart breaking for her brother.

"Everything will be fine. I'll try to write."

"I'll miss you." Silver murmured. "Are you sure-"

"We talked about this. You don't get the choice. I'm going in your place and that's final." Blue said coldly, then hugging him again. "It'll be okay. I love you."

"Me too." Silver murmured, pulling back. Gathering her small suitcase with very few items held within. Gripping her new dagger with the handle of her bag she turned and walked onto the carriage.

She didn't dare to look back. She didn't trust herself not to throw her hands up and decide to stay with Silver. She didn't trust Silver not to dash past her to take his 'punishment'. She didn't trust herself to stay strong enough to look back and see the obvious hurt in her brothers eyes.

By the time Blue was sitting in the carriage, she turned towards the door. She had worked up the courage to wave one last goodbye, but the door had shut and the carriage was moving forward. Hesitantly, she reached out and tugged at the handle, only to find that it hardly budged. Locked? She wouldn't be surprised.

Silently, she bowed her head, clenching her skirt in her fist. A million thoughts ran through her mind, though an overwhelming sadness enveloped her heart. Reaching up towards her face, she stubbornly rubbed her tears away. She would not cry. She was strong. Stronger than Masque. Stronger than her elder siblings. Strong enough to handle herself on her own. Strong enough to get through this new problem.

She would not cry.

She was strong.

o.0.o.0.o

 _"It's an old tale, nearly a century old..." Blue perked her ears up as she heard the bakers daughter, Soul, tell a tale to the children, so to distract them from their mothers frantically trying to buy up goods in the market. "But this is the tale of the Beast Prince."_

 _The children oohed and awed._

 _"Once upon a time," she said with a grin. "There was a handsome prince named Green. He lived in a big castle with tons of servants at his beck and call, and he had everything he could have ever asked for. But it was not enough._

 _"The fourteen-year-old prince wanted to rule over all the lands. Despite his young age, he was extremely intelligent. He knew how to make everything sound good and beneficial to the villagers, when in reality, he was slowly taking over the lands. As time passed and he aged, the villagers hated Prince Green, so much so that they loathed the color of his namesake. Green, on the other hand, was uncaring and cold to his subjects._

 _"One fateful day, a haggard old woman appeared on the doorstep, asking for the prince, refusing to leave until she could talk to him. Not wanting her dirtying his castle, Green greeted the woman, in which she offered him a rose. He refused, seeing no need for it. She then asked for shelter, as a storm was brewing. Again, he refused, seeing as she had nothing worthwhile to offer to him._

 _"At that point," Soul paused for dramatic effect. "The haggard old woman revealed herself to be a beautiful fairy of knowledge, the 'Understander', Platinum!"_

 _The children gasped in awe._

 _"Ashamed by his actions, Platinum cursed him and his castle! His beautiful castle became dark and uninviting, and his servants became pokémon!"_

 _The children, once again, gasped in awe._

 _"And she turned Prince Green into a horrible beast!" she exclaimed. "With huge claws and scaly orange skin and terrifying wings and horns!"_

 _The children shrieked as Soul jumped up with her arms raised, acting as the horrendous beast and chasing them around the square. Smiling slightly at her antics, Blue turned back to Silver, widening her eyes a fraction as she noticed his gaze transfixed on a certain someone, a small smile on his face._

 _She cast her gaze back to Soul, seeing that she had scooped up one of the younger kids, a small girl with gray eyes and light brown hair as she finished the sad tale of Prince Green. Nudging him with her elbow, she smirked as he snapped out of his revere._

 _"Dreaming of your future family with Soul, I see." she teased. Silver widened his eyes, face going pink as he ducked his head down, hiding his eyes with his bangs._

 _"Shut up, Blue."_

 _"And so," Soul continued. "Prince Green was cursed. No one knows how to reverse the curse, but some say," she paused again. "That he's still alive today."_

o.0.o.0.o

"Yo, blue-eyes."

Blue blinked her eyes open as a voice suddenly jerked her out of her sleep, looking around, only to see nothing. She blinked. Who had spoken? Turning her head, she saw the carriage door open and cold air hitting her face. Shivering, she clutched the cloak tighter around herself with one hand.

With the other she began rubbing her left temple, she stepped out of the carriage with her things in hand, secretly hoped that she dreamed the voice up from a result of emotional exhaustion. Looking to her right, she saw a large, dark, gloomy castle. Remembering her dream, she realized that Soul's description of 'dark and uninviting' hardly did this place justice.

The place was _enormous,_ built with dull, gray bricks, ominous gargoyles sticking out over castle ledges, dangerous stone spikes sticking out here and there. Trees were barren and devoid of life from the winter air, and the overwhelmingly huge wall did not go unchecked. The iron spikes on top? Well, delightful.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you."

She widened her eyes, searching for the source of the voice, but once again, there was nothing. Something tugged on her skirt.

"Down here." slowly, she moved her gaze down, open mouthed, staring at an aipom. He blinked back. Slowly, he smiled. "Heya, toots."

With that, she promptly booted him halfway across the yard. With a yell of pain and a humorous _poof_ of snow, the pokémon landed.

Blue frantically looked to her left, and saw an iron gate, a brick wall surrounding the rest of the property. She could probably scale that gate in three minutes, tops, though she may need more time considering the long skirt she was wearing.

"I wouldn't think of trying to escape if I were you." she turned back to the golden gaze of the aipom, rubbing it's chin with it's paw, a small bit of blood trailing and patching in his fur. "There's mightyena out there and surrounding the woods. They'll attack if you try to leave. Plus I wouldn't even want to think what the Master would do if you escaped."

"Shut up!" Blue exclaimed, whizzing a snowball and hitting him in the middle of his forehead, still trying to figure out if she had truly lost her mind or if she was still asleep in the carriage.

"Gold!" a sharp, female voice cried out. She turned to the source of the voice, and saw the large doors open, and... a chikorita.

"Nope." Blue decided immediately, turning towards the gate again. "Nope, nope, nope."

"Oh, honestly." she heard the Chikorita's voice again, but decided simply to ignore it because it simply couldn't exist. "You rode here in an enchanted carriage, right? How could talking pokémon be so weird to you?"

"You don't exist." Blue stated simply, reaching the gate and giving it a good shake. Surprise, surprise, it was locked. Fine then. Reaching up, she pushed the hood of her cloak down, revealing her brown hair done up in a bun. Reaching under her hair and pulling out a single bobby pin from her bun, she picked up the padlock, weighing it in her hand, and stuck the pin inside, moving it to get the lock to turn.

Suddenly, something landed on her her shoulders. It wasn't particularly heavy, but heavy enough to make it's presence known.

Then something cold was shoved down her back.

Shrieking at the sudden coldness, she jumped back, throwing the weight off her shoulders and frantically scratching at her back and shaking her clothes to get the onslaught of cold out of her dress and cloak, though this only made it melt into her clothes. Her hair was now somewhat loose, practically falling out of the bun she had done up. Enraged, the lock forgotten, she turned to the aipom, who was rolling around on the ground, laughing with one paw on it's chest and the other pointing to her.

Had that little dastard shoved snow down her back?!

"We'll see how funny you think it is when I skin you alive and shove you in a snowbank!" Blue shrieked, enraged. The aipom leapt up at that, and dashed behind the chikorita, who simply watched the events go down with an impassive look on her face.

"Crys, protect me, she's gonna hurt me!" he cried out. The chikorita, Crys, sighed.

"Honestly, Gold, you deserve it." she stated calmly. She then turned back to Blue, crystal blue eyes calm and composed. "Please excuse his behavior. He's an idiot."

"Hey!" Gold exclaimed.

"My name is Crystal, I'm the lead housekeeper." she turned her head to the aipom behind her. "This is Gold, the stableboy."

"I'm not a stableboy!" Gold argued hotly. "I'm the groom!"

Crystal ignored this, bowing her head slightly, and nodded towards the still open door.

"Let us head inside." she offered. "The cold air is coming in."

Blue paused, casting one long glance at the gate, then she swallowed her rage, deciding she'd deal with Gold later. Snatching up her bag, dagger hidden safely in the pocket of her dress, she stomped into the castle.

Once inside, a mightyena wearing a red bow tie approached her. Bowing it's head, it looked up at her with bright red eyes.

"May I take your cloak, milady?" he asked. Blue looked around at the cold, gray walls around her.

"I'd rather keep it, thank you." she responded. The mightyena nodded. "I'm Blue."

"My name is Ruby." he introduced himself. "I'm a butler." he turned, nodding towards a hallway. "Come on, it's cold outside." Leading her through a series of hallways, Gold and Crystal opting to go somewhere else, Ruby lead her into a parlor-like room. Ruby nodded towards two chairs. "Take a seat, I'll get Sapphire to light a fire."

"Alright." Blue said, watching the 'butler' trot out of the room.

Glancing around the small parlor, she couldn't say there was much to look at. It was cold with dark colors, a fireplace sitting at one end, two chairs in front of it, one simple and wooden, the other much larger, ornate, and comfortable looking. In fact, the wooden chair looked oddly out of place, like something she would see around the tables at the pub she worked at, contrasting greatly with the ornateness of all the other objects in the room.

Suddenly, the door creaked open.

With a slight jump, Blue looked over her shoulder. She saw Ruby come in again, with a torchic and a pikachu with a flower tucked behind it's ear trailing behind him. The pikachu was holding a cup with steam drifting over it, the torchic dragging a bundle of wood with a rope.

"Sapphire, Yellow, this is Blue." Ruby said. "Blue, Sapphire is the torchic and Yellow is the pikachu. Yellow is the medic of the castle. Sapphire works as a stablehand with Gold and an emergency maid. As in, the last ditch, last effort, no where else to turn to maid."

"Can it, Ruby." the torchic said gruffly as she dragged the wood to the fireplace. Untangling it's beak from the rope, it began to make work of putting the fireplace.

"I don't think you'll be able to do that by yourself." Blue commented, reaching down to help, only to have the tiny thing peck at her fingers. "Ow!"

"Sapphire!" Ruby chastised, glaring.

"Can it, you pansy!" Sapphire shot back. With an impressive display of strength, she flipped the wood over her head, landing in the fireplace with a thud.

"Barbarian!"

"Germaphobe!"

"Dirt-bather!"

"Oh dear..." Yellow muttered, setting the tea aside on the floor as she tugged at Blue's skirt. "Let me see that, Miss Blue."

"I don't know how much you can do." Blue said, kneeling down so that the pikachu can take her hand in her fuzzy yellow paws, staring at the small welt that Sapphire left. "I mean, it's only a tiny little thing. Nothing to worri-" she paused midword as Yellow closed her eyes, the welt and her paws glowing slightly. Blue watched in slight awe as the welt disappeared before her eyes. "Some." she finished as Yellow released her hand. Holding it up, she looked at where the welt was, eyes wide. "Wow. I can see why they call you the medic."

"Yeah, well..." Yellow trailed off bashfully.

"So are you, like, a witch or something?" Blue asked as Yellow scurried to the side to get the cup of tea, and brought it to her. Blue accepted it gratefully.

"I prefer the term sage." Yellow said.

"Sage..." Blue trailed off thoughtfully. "So you use magic, right? Can you learn magic?"

"No." Yellow shook her head. "It's something you're born with. Sometimes people can learn magic... but it's rare and extremely complicated..."

"Sounds like to much work." Blue said, tilting her head back. "I have a friend who has a sister who has a boyfriend who knows magic. A lot of earth things, making flowers grow in the winter, disappearing in a blast of petals, making harvests healthy..." she trailed off for a moment. "Yeah. Aaaaaand I'm talking to a talking pikachu about magic."

She turned her gaze to the crackling fire, now alit and glowing thanks to Sapphire. She was still arguing back and forth with Ruby, but Blue opted to ignore them.

Despite the fact that the fire was casting a warm glow across the room, Blue hardly felt the chill lift. This place was creepy, hardly some large and adventurous place that Soul made it sound like.

"Hairbrush hugging cur!"

"Unladylike chicken!"

"For Arceus sake-" Blue began, only to be cut off by the door slamming open by someone so strong, Blue was expecting the door to A, fly off the hinges, or B, smash through the wall and whip around to hit the person in the butt. The door didn't do either, but the cracks that formed around the wall and across the door didn't go unnoticed.

Slowly, her gaze went from the door to the person obstructing the doorway, and she widened her eyes. First off, whatever it is, was neither human nor pokémon, but it was _huge._ It was taller than any man she's ever seen, border lining seven feet at it's full height. Large, clawed hands hung at it's side while devilish horns stuck out of a head of spiky hair. Flickers of light from the fire revealed scaly orange skin and an elongated, almost lizard-like jaw, a huge tale with a small bit of fire visible behind him. Demonic wings sprouted from it's back, making the green eyes that practically glowed even more ominous.

"M-Master!" Yellow squeaked, skittering back in surprise. Ruby and Sapphire ceased their arguing almost immediately, staring at the man in the doorway.

"Who is this?" he, judging from his voice, growled out, staring at Blue. Blue scrambled to her feet, taking the nearest thing to her, which happened to be the oddly placed wooden chair, and held it in front of her, just so she had something between her and the beast standing in front of her.

"Well, sir," Ruby said courageously. "You remember the deal you made with that man, trade the first thing he touched on his property for all the wealth he could ever need? I-I think this woman is the thing that he first touched."

The beast stepped forward, leaning in, as if to judge her. She bristled slightly, though tried to remain impassive like Silver always would in the face of danger.

"You're not the first thing he touched." he growled out. Blue gripped the chair tighter. She wasn't to sure what to say, but she had a feeling being cheated out of his 'deal' was not something he expected. She couldn't tell if he was mad at Masque for daring to trick him, or mad at her for daring to trespass. Taking a step back, she prepared to break the chair over his head if needed.

Suddenly, the chair went flying from her grasp, smashing into the wall into a thousand tiny splinters.

" _WHY ARE YOU HERE?!"_ he roared, enraged.

" _Well, then."_ Blue thought, taking a step back as her gaze moved from the chair back to the beast.

Blue slowly reached into her pocket, gripping the dagger and unsheathing it, hidden behind the folds of her skirt.

"Prince Green!" Ruby exclaimed. "Don't hurt her!"

"I'm going to get Red!" Yellow exclaimed, tears budding around her eyes as she bolted out of the room, pun not intended.

Green roared, charging at her. Sapphire leapt up to stop him, Ruby frozen in place, as if conflicted on what to do. Her attack hardly mattered, as his eyes flashed, and he smacked Sapphire across the room, slamming her into the wall. The little torchic fell to the ground, unmoving, and Blue seriously feared she was dead. It didn't matter, as Ruby bolted across the room, gently picked Sapphire up in his jaws, and ran out of the room.

Green turned from his fleeing servants, his full wrath on her. He charged,

Blue freaked, whipping out the dagger and slashing him across the chest. The dagger gave him what humans would consider a paper cut, the finely crafted blade hardly nicking the sturdy scales protecting him. On the plus, though, it seemed to surprise him. He stepped back, giving Blue the chance to lash out, punching him in his jaw.

This time he actually stumbled, staring at her in wide eyed surprise, as if the thought of another person, a woman no less, punching him across the face was implausible.

"That was for scaring me!" Blue exclaimed, giving him an uppercut. "That was for hitting Sapphire!" She waited for him to open his eyes again, and promptly poked both his eyes with her index and middle finger. He hissed in pain, reflexively snapping his eyes shut, stumbling back. "And that's for charging at a lady! _"_

With that, she bolted out of the room, just in time to hear him roar in rage. Stumbling around the corner, she began fiddling with the belt around her waist, and over her skirt. In one fell swoop, the loose, constricting skirt fell, revealing a much shorter skirt going only mid thigh, making it easier to run through the corridors.

For the first time in her life, Blue realized, she thanked Masque for something; having her dresses specially designed for an easy switch to make running easier.

She whipped around a corner, and saw Yellow rushing up to her with another Pikachu, this one with a small sword strapped to it's back. Blue almost did a double take. That little sword was so cute!

Something suddenly yanked at her cloak. She choked at the sudden pressure around her neck, boots leaving scuff marks on the floor as she continued to get dragged back. Blue didn't waste a second, unclipping the garment at her neck and bolting through the hallways.

"Master Green!" a male voice shouted. Blue assumed it was sword Pikachu. Blue didn't care. She whipped around another corner, and grinned at the sight of the large wooden doors that lead to her freedom. She didn't care if her legs or her arms were exposed. She'd run through the freezing cold butt naked if she had to.

Wrenching open one of the doors, she bolted across the yard, only to have something suddenly slam into her back, searing pain going across her skin, and like that, she was airborne. A shriek left her lips as she flailed, trying to find a way to land without breaking something. She slammed into a a tree, the wind getting knocked out of her.

She fell to a heap at the base of the tree, snow from the branches falling on top of her, as if some god above her wanted to mock her waning fortune.

She tried moving, but pain shot up and down her back. Had the impact done that? Or had Green done it?

She shivered under the blanket of snow.

Now she really wished she kept that stupid skirt on.

o.0.o.0.o

Green slammed the castle door shut, about to hastily stomp to the west wing when some of his servants, Yellow, Red, Gold, and Crystal, stared at him with varying expressions. Yellow looked absolutely horrified, about to break into tears while Crystal just glared at him. Gold had his arm crossed, and Red had a disapproving look on his face.

"What?" he demanded, tired of them just staring.

"You're an idiot." Gold boldly, and perhaps stupidly, stated. Green felt his eyes flash as he snatched the aipom by his neck, yanking him up off the ground.

"Say that again, stableboy." he growled out.

"Again, I'm the groom." Gold said. "And you're an idiot."

"I-It's true." Red muttered, staring up at him with hard eyes. "I mean, a girl-"

"A hot one at that." Gold added unhelpfully.

"Suddenly shows up in the castle," Red continued, opting to ignore Gold. "And your best course of action is to attack her and throw her out?"

"She hit me." Green responded, still not releasing his grip on Gold.

"That's good!" Gold exclaimed. "She's got some fire in her!" Green looked at him.

"You're not helping your situation, stableboy."

"Dammit, I'm the-"

"Groom, we get it." Crystal sighed. "What we're saying, Master Green, is that perhaps you should be a little... gentler?"

"She was trespassing. She's not the first thing that gutterborn craven touched."

"Does it really matter?" Yellow asked, not daring to speak before that. "I mean, she might break the curse..." she squeaked as he turned his gaze to her.

"That woman? Not a chance." he responded, unceremoniously dropping Gold to the ground. He turned, going up the stairs.

"Platinum never said you had to love her back." Gold said, rubbing his neck. "She just needs to love you."

"And the rose is wilting, sir." Crystal said, eyes hard as steel. "This may be our last chance."

Green froze at that.

Truly, he did feel bad that his staff got roped into this mess, especially for Red and Yellow, as they had recently gotten engaged, their wedding planned for the new year, after Christmas. But then that fairy went and cursed them, and everything had to be put on hold.

"A-At least go and get her in from the cold." Yellow suggested. Green gripped the railing, then relented, turning back around and going outside. Hopefully she didn't run off yet. If she did, then he'd just go and scoop her up and bring her back.

Hardly phased by the cold, he stepped out of the castle and turned his attention to the tree she had flew into. His eyes widened a fraction, seeing that the mound had hardly moved since he watched the snow fall onto her. He hadn't killed her, had he?!

Rushing towards it, he began digging at the snow. Underneath, he found the girl, eyes closed, teeth chattering, hair a frazzled, damp mess, ice already freezing on the strands. Was she already getting cold from the short time she was out there? Noticing the blood around her, he slowly turned her over, blinking as he saw four claw marks going up her back. Had he done that?

" _Who else would have done that?"_ he thought bitterly, scooping her up and going back into the castle. The four servants were still standing there, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Master Green, she's bleeding!" Yellow exclaimed.

"I'm aware." he stated, glaring pointedly at her. Yellow fell silent, though she and the others scurried after him as he carried her to the tower and laid her on a bed of hay.

"Really?" Gold asked, crossing his arms and raising a furry eyebrow. "If you're trying to woo the girl, maybe you shouldn't lock her in a tower."

"I won't have her bloodying my items." he turned to Yellow. "Heal her. Make sure she lives." he then looked to Crystal. "Get White to clean up this trail of blood. I want it gone by the time I return here."

"W-What should we do with her if she wakes up?" Yellow asked.

"Bring her to me." he responded. "Make sure she's presentable."

o.0.o.0.o

Blue awoke to being very cold and not in as much pain as she recalled passing out with.

A sudden, warm feeling passed over her back. She flinched at the strange sensation, opening her eyes to figure out what was going on.

"Miss Blue?" she blinked her eyes open, and saw the pikachu with a sword. He was staring at her, ears twitching. She blinked. "Are you okay?"

"Better than I was." she responded, glancing around, crinkling her nose at the stone walls, barred window, and hay she was laying on. Slowly, she sat up, and saw Yellow scurry from behind her.

"I'm glad you can move." she smiled. "Those were some pretty bad gashes." she turned to the other pikachu. "This is Red. My fiancé."

"I'm the head knight." Red explained.

"You're engaged?" Blue furrowed her brow. "That's so cute!" She swore the two blushed. "How long have you been an item?" they glanced at each other.

"Are we going on eighty or ninety years?" Red asked.

"I believe it's ninety-nine." Yellow responded, as if doing the math in her head. "Yes, ninety-nine."

Blue's jaw dropped to the floor.

"You're nearly a century old?!"

"Chronologically? Yes." Red answered, nodding. "Biologically, I'm nineteen and Yellow's seventeen."

"Time stopped around the castle." Yellow said. "It's a part of the curse."

"Curse?"

"I'm sure you've heard of it in childhood legends and such." Red said. "Prince Green getting cursed by a fairy? Now you know that it's true."

"The curse was set over ninety years ago. It turned Green into a beast and us into a pokémon." Yellow said, frowning. "And time stopped."

"When the curse is broken," Red stated. "We'll regain our human form and time will go on, as if nothing happened.

"I suppose Platinum was a least wanted to see us young and happy after the curse was broken." Yellow commented softly. "Make sure our lives didn't completely waste away."

"How do you break the curse?" Blue asked curiously, cocking her head.

"We can't tell you." Red shook his head. "It's a part of the curse. You'll have to figure it out for yourself."

"Is there, like, a list or something?" Blue snickered. "'Ye Magical Rules of Thine Curse'?"

Both stared at her wide-eyed.

"How did you know?"

"Er..." Blue waved her hand in front of her face. "Never mind."

"You're awake?" she turned to the doorway, and saw a snivy standing there, smiling slightly, holding a bucket and a rag with her vines. "That's great! I just finished wiping up the floors." she set the bucket aside. Blue spotted the water tinted slightly red. "I'm White. I work as a maid."

"Blue." Blue responded.

"Come on," Red said, urging Blue up. "The Master wants to see you."

"Like hell!" Blue spat back.

"I know he scared you," Yellow said gently. "But it's important you see him."

"I'm not avoiding this because I'm scared. I'm avoiding it because he's a jerk!" Blue stated.

"He's not that bad when you have to deal with him for a couple of decades." White offered helpfully. Blue stared at her as if she was insane. "Truly!"

"...Fine." Blue muttered, standing up.

"Oh, wonderful!" White exclaimed, clapping her snivy hands together.

o.0.o.0.o

Green stared at the fireplace, sitting in his chair, in his parlor, trying to avoid looking at the cracks in the wall where Sapphire landed and Black, using his mouth and curled tepig tail, carrying pieces of the shattered chair to the fireplace for burning.

Honestly, he had hoped to have a civil conversation if the first thing that man touched was a person. But the moment he saw that troublesome woman and didn't smell his scent on her, all he saw was red. The craven had dared to trick him? To cut him short on his deal?

Prince Green of Kanto did not like being tricked.

So who did he touch that was so important to him that he sent her instead? As troublesome as she was, he highly doubted that she was his wife. She was incredibly young, to young for the likes of him. A daughter they couldn't afford to feed? He didn't smell his blood in her veins. She couldn't be a maid, he talked of financial troubles. Then who was she? Why did she come here?

He heard the door open, and he slowly stood, turning.

Blue walked in with the confidence of a warrior, eyes like shards of cold glass as she glared at him. Her hair had been combed and she was wearing a new dress, almost uncannily similar to the one she was wearing earlier, only it had a turtleneck over a scoop neck. Around her waist was her belts, small pouches on it, the sheath to her dagger dutifully attached to the belt, though the blade was missing.

For the briefest moment, he wondered why she insisted on wearing the short dress. Wasn't she cold?

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Black going out the door.

Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to her.

Neither of them spoke.

"Good evening, milady. I am Green." she spoke, voice in a lower octave. "Well, good evening Sir Green." her voice returned to normal. "I am Blue." she stared pointedly at him. "That was how our first encounter should have went. Not you going on a rampage and chasing me like a zubat out of hell."

"My apologies." Green muttered. He could be civil. He would be.

"Good!" Blue nodded with a small huff. "Anyways, like I said before, I'm Blue."

"Why are you here?" Green immediately demanded. "You're not the first thing he touched. Why are you here?

"Rude." huffed Blue. "If you _must_ know, that man got his hands on my younger brother first. I took his place."

Green stared at her for a brief moment. She willingly took on her brothers task? He... had not seen a person do something so selfless in a while. Ever since his sister...

He shook his head. What was past is past. No use dredging it up now.

"Well, Blue. This is my castle. You may go as you please, just never, ever enter the west wing. Understand?"

"Sure!" she chuckled after that. He did not like the sound of that chuckle. He left the room. It had only been an evening, and already he was annoyed with this woman.

Sighing, he shook his head, flying up to the west wing and opening the door, revealing tattered curtains and a single enchanted daisy and mirror sitting upon a table. The flower was covered in a glass case. He watched as a single petal drifted from the daisy and fell to the ground. Running his clawed hand through his hair, he stared at the daisy, sorrow ripping through his eyes at the thought of his sister.

Crystal was right. This woman, this _Blue_ was his last chance at humanity. As much as he disliked her painfully obvious rebellion of a personality and the unsettling chuckle she laughed and how she seemed to have an underlying plan B hidden behind her eyes... he knew that if he didn't do this right, he would be stuck like this forevermore. Time would remain painfully frozen for him and the servants of the castle. They wouldn't be human again.

Daisy would die.

Sighing, he picked up the mirror, the only connection he had to the outside world.

"Show me Blue." he stated, watching as if glowed green and the girl appeared in the glass. She was talking to Diamond and Pearl while they worked in the kitchen, preparing a meal. The munchlax and the chatot, respectfully, worked away while Blue talked to them, a sly look on her face as she carefully snatched some deserts, hiding them away in the pouches on her belts.

The two chefs hardly noticed, for Blue was to busy flattering them about how clean their workplace was and how they must be excellent cooks and such.

He slowly ran his hand down his face. Well, at least one thing was certain. He would never fall for a woman like that.

All he had to do was get her to fall in love with him.

"Diasy," he murmured as he placed a clawed hand against the glass. "I won't squander this chance. Soon you'll be by my side again."

o.0.o.0.o

The woman frowned slightly.

Two of her three children had fallen asleep. Celina was leaning against her shoulder, and Iri was leaning against her chest, snoring slightly. Aini was struggling to keep her eyes open.

"Time for bed, Aini." she smiled, kissing her forehead.

"I'm not sleepy. Tell the next part." she murmured in response as the woman untangled herself from the bed, gently laying Iri down so not to wake him.

"Without your siblings?" the woman smiled, setting the book aside and silently covering them with a blanket. Aini was already sleeping.

"Just where do you get that stubborn streak of yours, Aini?" the woman whispered softly as she left the room and shut off the lights.

o.0.o.0.o

 **Hopefully Green isn't to out of character.**

 **Anyways, it's a bit late and I'm going to be traveling the next two days or so. Read, review, and stay tuned!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	3. The Monster and the Thief Part 3

**_Slight changes were made to the two previous chapters, specifically chapter one. References to what was changed will be written in this chapter. It is suggested that the changes are read in order to for this to make more sense. Thank you~!_**

"Mooooooooom!"

The woman whipped around barely catching Celina as the eight-year-old barreled into her, tears threatening to spill.

"Mom, mom! Aini and Iri are ganging up on me!"

"Iri?" the woman questioned in surprise. Sure, the little boy had his moments, but he was usually well behaved.

 _"You think Iri's a good kid? Ha! Let me tell you, once boys hit about three or four, the cuteness is gone and we get hyper-active energy kicked-up monsters of destruction. But that, V, is why I love my little Citrine."_

The comment made almost embarrassingly loud by a slightly drunk Topaz at a small bachelorette party for Opal came to the front of her mind. She had prayed that it was simply a normally blunt and confident woman turned even more blunt and extremely loud due to her low tolerance for alcohol.

Iri and Aini suddenly burst into the room, plastic katana's in hand and scarves loosely tied around their lower faces. Celina whimpered, scurrying behind her legs. V sighed, shaking her head.

"Aini. Iri." she said, bending down. "What did I say about running around with these things in the house?"

"We're not running!" Aini defended.

"Jogging." Iri stated with a nod.

"It's mean to team up on your older sister."

"She said she wanted a romance princess story!" Aini stated.

"Blech!" Iri said, pulling his scarf down and sticking his tongue out with his eyes screwed shut. "I wanna adventure!" Iri exclaimed with a hopeful gleam in his eye.. "With ninja's and pirates!"

"We aren't even done with the first story yet." V smiled, ruffling his hair.

"Then start again!" Iri ordered with a grin. "I want my ninja's an' pirates!" he then bolted off to get the storybook. V turned to Aini.

"Aini, don't turn your brother against your sister."

Aini gave V a raspberry, to which she laughed as Iri hurried back into the room with the story book.

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Monster and the Thief, Part Three_

Blue was... entertaining.

That was really the only kind word Green could think to say about the girl. She talked endlessly, conned uncontrollably, and was constantly being an overall nuisance. She had since forgiven him for what had happened when she first appeared there, and whenever he came down for dinner- a tradition his sister so honored, eating as around the table as a family- she would simply talk and act as if nothing was wrong.

Red had informed him that he and Yellow told Blue of the curse, how it stopped time and how he was a beast and how they had been stuck this way for ninety-nine years. She knew that, behind the mask of beasts, they were humans. From what he noticed, she seemed to not act so confused and freaked out by the fact that his servants were talking pokémon, and even though she looked at him oddly, she didn't outright scream and run when she laid eyes on him.

Which he took as a good sign.

" _Love starts as acceptance of another person's flaws."_ he recalled his sister saying fondly. " _Once you get through that hoop, the rest is history, Green."_

He stared thoughtfully over the balcony, realizing how nice it was to actually have someone who didn't seem terrified at first glance. Even when she first met him, and with him at his worst, she still was foolish enough or brave enough-he had yet to figure out which- to not only slash him with a dagger, but also punch him twice and poke him in the eyes.

"Show me Blue." he said to the magic mirror, watching as she suddenly appeared talking to White about dresses or something. Like White was a an actual person, and not a pokémon.

" _Maybe,"_ he thought as a smirk slowly formed on his lips. " _She's entertaining in a good way."_

o.0.o.0.o

Blue had to admit that the castle was a pretty cool place. She explored countless corridors and halls, and true to Masque's word, this place _did_ have bucketfuls of gold and jewels. Gold and jewels that she, even thought they were pretty much useless due to her being stuck here with no way to leave, couldn't help but picking through and choosing gems and trinkets she took a certain liking too.

It sort of became some sort of game for her. Find one thing each day, and see if she could find something else that would top what she found the day previous. It served as a decent enough distraction.

During her little 'journeys', she ended up meeting countless characters outside of those she met her first day. She became more acquainted with White the snivy, who took the time to introduce her to the others. She met a Tepig named Black, a young man hired to be a servant, though was extremely loud. Ironically enough, he was in charge of keeping the library organized. It seemed as if he had read every book in the library. Lastly was Emerald, a rather young boy-maybe fourteen or so- turned to a Treeko and the gardener of the castle grounds. He didn't have much to do now, what with it being winter, but he spent most of his time helping out Black in the library.

She also met the head chef, Diamond, Dia for short, and the su-chef, Pearl. A munchlax and a chatot respectively, they were about as different as night and day, the former rather quiet and laid back while the former was, in two words, high strung. They were comedians, and even though they wanted to perform for her when she first met them, they said they had to prepare the meal for that night, but they swore they would perform for her as soon as they ran into each other. A promise they kept up, as whenever she bumped into them, off duty, they performed at least two or three different versions of their skit.

And that left the final servant of the castle. Topaz, the castles welder. At first, she was surprised when she saw a Meloetta walking around with a huge sledgehammer, but brushed it off as a servant cleaning. She was even more surprised, however, when she discovered that same Meloetta sitting in a welders room, welding a sword.

"*bleep*ing things wouldn't be suitable for a *bleeped*ed circus act let alone a *bleep*ing prince."

And that was the first sentence that Blue ever heard out of the female pokémon's mouth. This was quickly followed by a fiery glare and a point of a stubby little black hand.

"What the *bleep* do you think yer looking at? Never saw a girl welding before?"

And with that, Blue abruptly left. Oddly enough, Topaz reminded her of Silver. It wasn't just their profession, but the way they criticized every piece of work they did, how they strived for something better, to be the best they could be, how they enjoyed isolation from other people, and knew how to effectively dismiss people they don't want around. It was especially their glares. While Topaz's was fiery and passionate, ready to smolder someone if they dared take another step, Silver's was colder than Kyreum, effectively freezing someone in their place before they got the message and took the hills running. Though utterly different, they were so similar it... almost hurt.

She hardly saw hide nor hair of Green, as he was always locking himself in that West Wing. The only time that he ever made his presence known was by appearing at dinner, eating without hardly saying a word, then moving on with his life. Honestly, she wanted to know what was so damned _important_ about the West Wing that she couldn't visit it. But whenever she asked about it, the servants always either quickly changed the subject or they suddenly came up with a 'very important task' that needed to be attended to.

It was annoying.

On top of that, Red was guarding her door at night. Yes, a small little pikachu wielding a butcher knife of a sword, was guarding her door when she fell asleep. At first, she found it adorable, maybe even admirable. But adorable quickly turned to annoying when she woke up one night just to go to the kitchen for some water, and he insisted that he escorted her to and from her room. Seriously, if it wasn't for the recently formed friendship with Yellow, she would have punted the human turned yellow rat across the hall. What, did he think she was planning on sneaking out to go to the West Wing?

Well, that was exactly what she planned on doing. But Red didn't need to know that.

"Yellow~." she sang out, practically pouncing on the little pikachu. Yellow blinked, pausing at organizing the herbs in the kitchen to look at her.

"What?"

"Well, I've noticed that Red has been working _so hard_ lately, and I'm kind of worried."

If a pikachu could pale, Blue was pretty sure that Yellow did. She averted her gaze, staring at the herbs in her hand.

"Oh." she barely murmured. "What's wrong?"

"He's been guarding my door at night. I think he's staying up all night to do so, and working _all day_ too." she sighed, clicking her tongue in worry. "So I was thinking we find a way to keep him from working tonight."

"B-But if Master Green ordered it-"

"If 'Master Green'," she said mockingly. "Is ordering Red to work himself to the bone, then there's going to be a serious problem."

Yellow seemed to muse over the subject, worryingly biting her bottom lip. Slowly, she turned to look up at her.

"What should I do?"

o.0.o.0.o

"Come on, where is it?"

Red dug feverishly through the cold storage, trying to find his most favorite condiment for his bread. It was the oddest thing, really. Every since turning into a Pikachu ninety some odd years ago, he had the oddest, strangest craving for one single condiment: ketchup.

Don't get him wrong, before he even became a pokémon, he very much did enjoy ketchup. There was literally an entire shelf in the cold storage meant simply for ketchup. But now he wanted so much that he could simply drink it straight and would go on with his day. Most of the time, though, he simply squirted it onto a slice of bread and smacked another slice on top of it. A ketchup sandwich. Green and some of his other friends thought it was disgusting, but he honestly didn't care.

Besides, it was time for a quick snack before he went to guard Blue's door tonight.

"Got it!" he cried out victoriously, holding up the clear bottle, the red liquid clearly visible through the glass. Grinning, he shut the door to the cold storage and happily scurried up the kitchen shelves with the condiment tucked into his belt, and carefully set it down. Now for the bread...

He scurried back down the shelves and delved into the pantry. Bread, bread, bread...

Suddenly, the door slammed shut. He whipped around, staring at the door in surprise.

Then he heard a click.

"Hey, I'm in here, you know!" he yelled, running over.

"I'm sorry, Red!"

"...Yellow?" Honestly? He expected it to be one of Gold's pranks or something.

"You're working to hard! I don't care what the Master says, you're taking a break tonight, even if you have to sleep in the pantry!"

"Yellow, did someone put you up to this?"

"Nope!" she said to quickly.

"You're lying." he responded, sweatdropping. "Open the door."

"No!"

"Yellow...!"

"No! It's for your own good and I'll get you in the morning! Good night, Red!"

o.0.o.0.o

"To easy." grinned Blue as she listened to the small argument between the engaged couple from the hallway. "Well, that's one problem out of the way." she turned on her heel, a new pep in her step as she made her way to the West Wing, but she realized another glaring problem.

She had no idea where the West Wing was.

She stood thoughtfully in the middle of a random hallway for a moment, trying to formulate a new plan. Honestly, she didn't want to get caught wandering around looking for the mysterious West Wing. She was here for three weeks, that was long enough for her to know where the bathrooms and the kitchen was, so she couldn't use the "Oh I had to go powder my nose but I got lost" and the "Oh, I just wanted a midnight snack but I couldn't find the kitchen." excuses.

She stood thoughtfully for a few moments, when...

"Miss Blue?" she blinked as she saw Diamond coming down the hallway, Pearl reprimanding him on his huge appetite the whole way. "You here for a late night snack too?"

"Nope." Blue shook her head, a plan suddenly forming. "I was curious, guilty as charged. I've never been in an enchanted castle before."

"Enchanted?!" Pearl snapped his head to her. "Who said this place was enchanted?! This isn't an enchanted! We're not enchanted! We're just..." he faltered, much to Blue's amusement. "Smarter than the average pokémon."

"Newsflash, you two." Blue said, placing a hand on her hip with a smile. "Red and Yellow already explained the entire 'fairy curses the entire house and time remains frozen on castle grounds' thing."

"Did they tell you how beautiful she was?" Dia asked with a dreamy look in his eyes. Pearl sighed.

"Damned fool's been smitten with the fairy since the day he saw her." he explained with a roll of the eyes.

"Well if you saw her, you'd understand." Dia defended with a bright smile. Blue chuckled.

"Anyways, I'm trying to find my way around the castle better." she lied with a bright smile.

"Would you like a tour?" Dia offered sweetly.

"A tour? Diamond," Pearl hissed. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea. We can't go," he lowered his voice to muttering. "Poking around in certain places if you get what I'm saying."

"Maybe _you_ could take me." Blue said, resting her elbow in her hand and her cheek on her fist as she fluttered her eyelashes at Pearl. If she ignored the fact that Pearl was a chatot and reminded herself repeatedly in her head that he was, truly, a human, it made it easier for her to flirt her way into getting what she wants. "I'm sure you know _everything_ there is to know about the castle."

For good measure, she winked.

"Actually," Pearl grinned haughtily. "I _do_ know quite a bit about this place."

o.0.o.0.o

Blue listened absentmindedly to Pearl as he rambled on about the castle and directions on how to get here and there and there and here. Inwardly, she was smirking. Pearl was almost the complete opposite of his best friend. While Diamond was laid back and kind to all, despite impressions, Pearl was quick-tempered and impatient, not to mention haughty.

And that haughtiness is what Blue used against him. She knew exactly how to deal with arrogant people, especially men. All she had to do was stroke their ego and viola, putty in her hands.

"You're not really lost or wanting to learn about the castle, are you?"

Blue snapped her gaze down to Diamond, who was munching thoughtfully on some random loaf of bread he picked up from who knows where. Pearl hardly paid them any mind to the small talk as he was to set on completing the tour. Blue opened her mouth to retort, but wasn't exactly sure how. She always thought that Diamond was but a simple-minded, well... idiot. Kind at heart but seemingly only focused on food and uncaring of what was thrown his way. He just munched on some candy and continued through his day. She never dubbed him as the type to actually pay attention to what was going on around him, but oddly enough, she realized it almost suited him. He was the person who studied the emotions of others and acted based on them. The person who, perhaps not even known to others, kept everyone's emotions under control and in check.

"A lady's got to stretch her legs. She can't stay holed up in her room all night." Blue responded with a smile. Diamond stared at her, chewing his food even slower than before, an obvious sign that he was contemplating and absorbing her words.

"Whatever you say, Miss Blue." he finally said with a shrug. Blue returned her half-hearted attention to Pearls speech.

Suddenly, she heard a soft sobbing.

It was hardly there, just small sounds. At first, she thought it was Yellow because she got a scolding from Green for locking Red in a bread cabinet, but she realized that the sobs were coming from a woman maybe a few years _older._ She looked around, trying to determine where there was a crying female.

" _My... brother..."_

A shiver shot down her spine as the disembodied voice cried out.

"Er..."

" _Please..."_

"Pearl, this place wouldn't happen to be haunted, would it?" Blue asked, forcing a smile on her face.

"That's ridiculous." Pearl said with a shake of his head.

" _... My brother..."_

" _Can they not hear it?"_ Blue wondered, glancing at her guides. Pearl was caught up in explaining something and Diamond was to busy. While they were distracted, she decided to follow the voice. Slowly, she wandered up the staircase, but only made it three steps when her two guides rushed in front of her.

"What's up there?" she asked, cocking her head curiously.

"Nothing, nothing at all." Pearl said quickly.

"Yep, nothing cool up in the West Wing." Diamond added in. Pearl glared at him, but Blue smiled slyly. Mission accomplished.

"So that's the West Wing." she said offhandedly.

" _... Please..."_

"I wonder what he's hiding up there."

"Hiding?" Diamond said shakily. "Master Green is hiding nothing!"

Blue smiled slyly.

"Then it wouldn't be forbidden." she said, climbing a few more steps. They bolted up and stopped her again.

"Maybe you would like to see something else?!" Diamond asked, almost desperately. "There's this poffin recipe I know that's to _die_ for."

"Maybe later." she mused.

"M-Maybe you could see the gardens, or the library!" Pearl exclaimed.

"It's winter, and I'm not much of reader."

"Or the royal vault!" Diamond blurted out. Blue stopped at that. Vault? She's seen precious gems just lying about in random piles like discarded trash. What on _earth_ could be more valuable that it's locked in a vault?

"You have a vault?" Blue asked, cocking her head. Pearl let out a relieved chuckle.

"Yes, a royal vault, filled to the brim with jewels, one worth more than an entire city!" Diamond exclaimed.

"Speaking of pokémon!" Pearl exclaimed, suddenly beginning their comedy routine as they walked down the stairs.

"Speaking of pokémon!" Diamond echoed.

"Did you know Prince Green has a vault?"

"A vault, you say?"

"Yeah, the gems in there are worth more than an entire city!"

"Really?! How haven't they cracked the floors yet?"

"What?"

"The gems weigh more than an entire city, right?"

She faintly heard Pearl deliver a smack to Dia as she headed up the stairs to the forbidden West Wing. These people were almost to easy to trick!

Her inward snickering stopped as she rounded the corner. Even though the castle was overall depressing, this place was just _scary._ Statues were smashed, paintings torn, a mirror shattered into a thousand shards. As she continued further down the hallway, the damage seemed to get worse and worse.

At the end was an overwhelmingly large doorway with large golden handles. She ran her hand along the doorknob. Was this real gold?! She greedily wondered what could be laying on the other side. Gems the size of her head? Golden floors? Glass replaced by diamonds?!

" _... Help him..."_

Blue paused her thoughts of riches at the voice.

"A woman?" she wondered as she pushed open the heavy doors.

Through the dim lighting, she saw that there was no precious jewels. The tile was normal tile, and the glass, as far as she could tell, was simply shattered glass. At this, she pouted, but continued to look about. Curtains were torn and random objects were shattered. Holes were present in the walls, and pictures and portraits were shredded, as if someone brought in an axe into the room and just decided to go to town.

One portrait, however, seemed to have been painted on cloth, and looked to have four ominous claws slashing down diagonally to the portrait. Judging from what she could tell, it was two people. Two important people, since it was painted on cloth rather than paper, so it would last longer. Two important people that someone didn't want anyone to see.

"Well, if I did this..." she said absentmindedly, reaching out to one of the shreds, dangling down from the claw marks. Honestly, if she just picked the two cutting straight through the middle up and placed them where they were meant to be, she'd be able to maybe get a complete picture.

And she did.

There was a young man and a young woman, both were human, the former around her age and the latter a little older, maybe her early twenties. Both had brown hair a shade lighter than hers, the male spiked up and the female with straight, long hair. The female had blue eyes and had a bright smile, while the male had an almost familiar stoic, serious look and piercing green eyes.

Blue furrowed her brow.

"Who...?"

" _... Save him..."_

She turned her gaze as something sparkling caught her attention. There, just inside the room, glowing in the moonlight that flooded in from the balcony, was a silver table. Atop the table was a glowing, floating daisy, surrounded in small, magical orbs, covered with a glass case. She hardly paid any mind to mirror. Instead, she paused thoughtfully in front of the daisy, the smiled. A magical daisy! This thing might be worth _more_ than those precious gems Masque brought home.

Carefully, she removed the glass case and set it on the floor, eyes never moving from enchanted flower, and slowly rose back up. Slowly, she reached out to grip the stem of the flower. Just as her fingers were brushing the stem, a shadow suddenly blocked the moonlight.

Slowly, she looked up and let out a terrified gasp as Green flew over her, wings flapping to keep him in place almost two feet off the ground. He glared at her, eyes filled with fiery rage as he charged, scooping up the glass case and putting it back over the daisy. Blue stumbled back, watching as he protectively curled around the daisy, muttering something. What was so important about the daisy that he was so protective of it?

Sure that it was safe, Green slowly turned to her, glare never leaving his face.

"Why did you come here?" he demanded, turning fully to face her, using his body as a shield for the flower, as if afraid she would suddenly break out a hammer and start beating the poor thing with it.

Blue's mind was going a mile a minute, trying to think up an excuse for being here that he may believe.

"I..." she floundered a moment. "Got, um, lost?"

"I warned you..." he growled, stepping forward, forcing her to take a step back. "Never to come here!" he snatched her wrist, gripping it so tightly she was sure he would break it. "Do you realize what you could have _done?!"_

"But I didn't do anything!" she responded, flinching as she felt his hand suddenly heat up, practically on fire.

"Get out!" he roared, shoving her back. She stumbled, grabbing at a shelf to steady herself. Green whipped around, smashing something that was in his path. Blue ducked as a table went flying her way, nearly hitting her. "Get _out!"_

Blue looked at him and nearly froze. The last time he tried to hurt her, he was simply pissed off. She could understand, though, she hated getting conned out of a deal as well. She knew that he was once human, that all of them were human, and rage was just a part of life. But this time, he was beyond anger. The human part that she saw whenever she managed to catch a glance at him was gone

He truly looked like a monster.

She bolted down the stairs and ran.

"Miss Blue!" she heard White exclaim in surprise, the wood in both her's in Black's vines and tail respectively, as if heading to her room to put more wood on the fire.

"What are you doing?" Black asked as she yanked open her closet and pulled on her belts and her cloak then grabbing a random satchel and began shoving some more of her items into it.

She didn't have enough room for all her items, but she honestly didn't care. She had her important things. She had the gems and Silver's dagger and some spare clothes. She'll be fine. She'll hunt for food. She'll think of something.

"I'm leaving." she said curtly to the two pokémon. "Tell everyone I'm sorry, I just can't do this anymore."

She had no idea why she felt the need to apologize, maybe she had formed some sort of friendship with the humans-turned-pokémon. She bolted past them and down some more stairs, nearly plowing down Crystal, who was reprimanding Pearl and Dia on shirking their nightly duties.

"Hey!" she heard Gold exclaim as she muttered an apology to Crystal.

"Where are you going?!" exclaimed Diamond, actual panic seeming to form behind his eyes.

"Deal or no deal, I can't stay here another minute." she said, turning to them for a brief moment before wrenching open the front door, the blizzard blowing in.

"Now please wait a moment...!" Crystal practically begged. "Please! Please wait..." she called out fruitlessly as the door slammed shut.

o.0.o.0.o

Green panted slightly as his anger began to ease away, watching as Blue retreated in a panic. Slowly, he turned his gaze as he heard a few doors slam, then a large one. Slowly, he stepped outside onto his balcony, and watched as Blue's tiny form bolted to the gates, wrenching them open and running.

Shamefully, he covered his eyes with his hand. He was a monster. He scared her off. The horror, the pain, the absolute _fear_ that was on her face... He burned her, no doubt. It's just... Daisy was so delicate as a flower. What if she had knocked a petal loose? What if she sped along the process? The petals had yet to fall, but he knew they were winding down to the final year of the curse. Exactly one year from now, if he didn't get someone to fall in love with him as he is, he'd be stuck as a beast, his servants, pokémon, and Daisy would die.

"I'm sorry, Daisy." he sighed, turning back to his enchanted sister. "I've failed you. I'm so sorry."

"Master Green!" someone was knocking frantically on his door. Well, rather, it was pecking, as Sapphire didn't have hands, but she knew not to enter his room. "Master Green!"

"Miss Blue has left!" Ruby this time.

"I'm aware." he responded.

"Master Green, it's dangerous this time of year, you know that!" he heard Emerald shout. "It's a blizzard out there and mightyena are running rampant in the woods! She won't make it through the night!"

"It's my fault she's gone." Green responded.

"But Master-!"

"She was about to touch Daisy and I lost my temper!" Green roared, wrenching his door open. "I became the monster I am and I scared her off!"

"Then go help her!" Sapphire hollered. "Win her back! She's gonna _die_ out there, for Arceus's sake!"

"Girls like a hero, right?" Emerald suggested desperately.

"I can handle wooing the girl without the advice of a fourteen-year-old _boy."_ Green growled out, resisting the urge to punt the human-turned-treeko across the room. He needed to learn to control his temper.

"Please, Master Green." Ruby begged. "If not for you or us or Blue, at least do it for Lady Daisy."

Emerald and Sapphire looked at him in horror. There was literally only five rules in this house when it came to Green. Don't enter his room, don't allow anyone in the West Wing, keep up with their chores and duties, _always_ address him with respect, and never _,_ ever, _ever_ mention what happened to his elder sister, Daisy. Hell, they were afraid to even to say her _name._ The only one who could break two of these rules was Red, his most loyal and longest serving man, who had the right to address him without the 'Master', 'Sir', or 'Prince', and he could enter Green's room. But even _he_ was uneasy about mentioning Daisy.

Ruby just signed his own death warrant.

Green narrowed his eyes at the mightyena, and Ruby kept his gaze steady. Bringing up the forbidden subject was a surprisingly ballsy move on his part. A small sizzling noise cut through the silence, causing Sapphire and Emerald to flick their gaze to Green's hands. Smoke was fizzling up from under his palms. He was mad, so mad that his hands were literally _burning_ the wood.

Then he closed his eyes and slammed the door shut. A few moments later, they heard the faint flap of wings.

They made their way back to the front foyer, where the news has already spread to the other servants. Yellow came running from the kitchen with Red. Everyone had gathered, muttering nervously and fearfully, hoping their only chance wasn't lost.

"Hey." they turned at the open door and saw Topaz walking in, signature sledgehammer in hand, dragging in snow behind her. "Any one of you *bleep*ing maggots want to tell me why the *bleep* Master Green went flying off the *bleep*ed grounds?"

Everyone turned their gaze to Sapphire, Ruby, and Emerald, the three who decided to go and talk to her while the others spread the message throughout the castle. Sapphire and Emerald had their gaze fixed on Ruby, who seemed to have a smug and confident look on his face.

"Master Green's going to save Blue."

o.0.o.0.o

Blue was running on foot, determined to get back before the Mightyena sniffed her out. She had recalled Ruby's warning after about three minutes of running as fast as she could through the snow and paused for a moment of thought.

There was no way she was turning back.

The snow had piled up to her knees and she was literally treading through it. clutching the cloak tightly for warmth. She heard once that water will throw dog-pokémon off of someone's scent. Would the same apply to Mightyena, with melted snow?

She heard a howl in the distance.

"Arceus, please don't come after me." she muttered as she clutched her hood around her cheeks and trudged faster. This continued for a moment, and then she heard an even more terrifying sound.

A screech of a bird, no, _multiple_ birds.

Suddenly, over the howling winds of the blizzard, the flap of wings pounded in her ears with her heartbeat, and a flock of staraptor appeared.

She froze as she stared at the flock. Weren't birds supposed to migrate for the winter? Why were they here? Did they miss the migration? Or could they survive through the winter? If they couldn't... did that mean they would be hungry and searching for food.

She let out a bloodcurdling scream and turned, bolting in some random direction. She didn't care where she went. She didn't care if she ended up back in the castle with Green. Anything, _anything,_ was better than being stuck with those monsters...!

More screeched and squawks, and Blue didn't need to be told that they were in pursuit of their latest meal.

"No, no, no, no, NOOO!" she shrieked as she felt something swoop over her head. Seeing that the snow was considerably less piled where she was standing- for whatever reason, she honestly didn't care at the point- and she continued running down it, feet pounding across the ground.

Then she heard a distinct cracking sound.

Quickly deducing that she was on a river or lake or something, she prayed that it was simply the water shifting underneath as she continued running. She had to get off this lake or river or whatever it was in order to not die. The cracking sound continued, birds screeching overhead.

Then she felt nothing but cold.

Now, Blue realized, if a person had adrenaline and fear pumping so fast through their veins so fast they were afraid their heart would burst, she could suggest going out into the dead of night in the middle of winter, find a lake or stream or river or creek or whatever, jump up and down a bit, and allow themselves to fall into a river. That is how one would chill.

Her heart immediately stopped as she fell into the icy water. She prayed that it was going to be easy to climb out of, but she realized, rather than hitting the bottom, she kept sinking, immediately confirming that this was probably a deep drop off of a river or something. And it was _cold._

She floundered for a moment, kicking against her skirts weighing her down. Realizing the fruitless fight against the cloth, she scrambled around her waist for a moment, trying to find the buckle to release the skirt before realizing something; this was not the dress she go from Masque, but rather, a dress that Ruby had designed and had White sew for her. Which means no belt to make things easier for her.

Blue flailed her arms around a bit, making little to no progress. Out of no where something was underneath her, pushing her up. Through blurry vision, she managed to make out the light brown back of a pokémon, silver cannons, and a blue head.

She was suddenly flopped onto the ice, then scrambled to the deeper snow, indicating the bank. She fell into it like it was a featherbed, breathing deeply and quickly, uncaring of how the icy cold hair only made her throat and lungs burn more.

Then the screeching came back.

She kind of just curled into a pathetic whimpering ball at that point, covering her ears and wishing for the screeching to simply stop. Suddenly, something landed next to her. She looked up and saw a jigglypuff using Tri-Attack. From the gaping hole where she fell through, the pokémon that saved her-a blastoise- was blasting water into the air, trying to drive the birds off.

No matter what, though, the birds kept coming back, as if completely undeterred by the two pokémon attacking them.

Blue suddenly shrieked as she felt talons dig through her clothes and into the skin on her back. Scrambling and floundering in fear, she wailed as it tugged at her cloak. She didn't wanna be bird food...!

Then, an inhumane roar ripped through the flapping of wings and sounds of battle. Blue dared to crack open her eyes, and saw Green grabbing the bird around it's neck, roaring in it's face with dragon-like fangs on full display, then throwing it across the river she had just dragged herself out of with the help of the blastoise, making it and it's flock know that he was a threat.

She watched as he cast a glance at the blastoise came to her, but quickly ignored it as the staraptor's regrouped and got ready for another attack. Ferociously flapping his own wings, he bolted into the air, slashing at the birds overhead. Another roar, and a fireball flew from his hands. The staraptor glanced at each other, then dived in for an attack, ignoring Blue, the jigglypuff, and the blastoise, deciding to go for the bigger, larger threat.

Blue scurried back as the birds seemingly enveloped his form. She barely saw the flickering orange of the fire on his tail. Suddenly, there was another loud roar, and what Blue could only describe as an explosion. Some of the staraptor went flying back but regained their balance, but others fell to the ground, unconscious or dead, Blue could't tell.

Glancing at their fallen comrades, then back to Green, the birds seemed to make a unanimous decision and fled, knowing that the. Green let out a low sigh... of relief? For what? Her safety? The fact that the fight was over? She had no idea. It seemed as if all she could do was flap her mouth open and closed without any sound coming out. Finally, he turned. Then he turned to her.

"Let's go back to the castle, pesky woman." he stated, taking a few steps forward. "You'll freeze if you don't."

The blastoise and jigglypuff seemed to take a defensive stance. Blue had no idea why the two pokémon suddenly became so attached or protective of her, but she really didn't care. They had saved her life, after all. She shakily stood up, slightly fearful as her legs had gone entirely numb and her skirt was stiff as cardboard from the freezing waters. She place a hand on the blastoise's shell.

"H-H-He's sa... fe." she forced the last word out through her chattering teeth. The blastoise cast a glance at her, then moved to the side. Green stepped forward, scooping her up without a moment's hesitation.

"H-H-Hey, I kn...ow... a pri-nce wants to swo...op.. his princess off her f-f-feet, but you're ta-king the term a... bit to literally." she joked half-heartedly, slightly cursing her choppy speech, though welcoming the warmth rolling off him.

"Pesky woman, you can hardly stand, let alone walk back." Green responded, flapping his wings. He turned to the pokémon, still staring at them. "Friends of yours?"

"Just met 'em."

He glanced at them again.

"I have to take Blue back quickly. Are you aware of the castle?"

The pokémon nodded in response.

"Then come there." he paused, realizing that whomever answered the door would need something to signal that they too were his guests. But what would be significant enough...?

His hands clasped around a locket around his neck, as if wondering if he should part with it. With a reluctant sigh, he pulled it over his head, passing it to the jigglypuff.

"The castle is where she is staying. Show that to whomever opens the door. If you loose it, I'll never let you see Blue again."

Green wasn't sure if it would be an effective stress, or if he could trust the two pokémon, but they seemed to understand, as both nodded, the jigglypuff pulling the pendant over it's head.

He slowly flapped his wings, watching as the two pokémon began making their way towards the castle in the distance. Confirming that they were indeed coming, he began picking up speed, only _slightly_ aware the Blue had already curled into his chest, a content smile on her face.

o.0.o.0.o

Green walked aimlessly through the hallways of his castle while he waited for news on Blue. He couldn't place why, exactly, he was so worried.

Flapping his wings, he rose from the ground and went over the railing. How he ended up on third floor, he had no idea. Perhaps he was pacing mindlessly. He, Prince Green Oak of Kanto, was pacing mindlessly over some annoying, pesky, noisy _woman._

Ugh.

Slowly, he opened the door to the front parlor, only to here sniffling from the only chair in the room. His chair.

He felt anger flick on the edge of his consciousness, as that chair was very precious to him. It was were his elder sister and he sat when they were younger to read mindless fairy tales until they were both to big to fit in the chair together. No one but he or Daisy was allowed to sit in that chair, and even he very rarely sat down in it. It was, like so many other rooms in the house, something of a shrine to his sister.

He went to the side of the chair, staring down at what he could only described as a cocoon of blankets with a head of wet and matted brown hair and blue eyes on top.

"What are you doing, pesky woman?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Blue sniffled, looking up at him.

"Hiding." she stated simply. "Freezing."

Slowly, he reached up and ran his hand down his face. This was a test, he guessed, not intentionally set by Blue, but a test on whether or not he could truly control his rage.

There was silence for a moment, interrupted only by Blue's sniffles.

"Pesky woman." Green stated, grabbing a fistful of blankets and yanking them off her. She let out a cry of protest. As all twenty blankets- how she had managed to gather all those up and sneak in here, wet, sick, and with no one noticing, was beyond him- fell to the floor, he scooped her up and plopped down on the chair with her in his lap.

"What are you doing?!" she demanded in a hoarse voice. Green glanced at her as she went into a coughing fit. Just as he thought. The idiotic girl got herself sick. Shifting slightly, he grabbed one of the blankets and pulled it up over her head and then another and draped it over them.

"You're not going to get any warmer by piling more layers of cloth on you." Green stated simply, staring at the fire. "Your body temperature dropped from falling into the river, plus you have wet hair, plus you're sick. You need actual _heat_ in order to regain body heat."

"Then light a fire." Blue muttered, though curling into a ball, obviously to tired from the events that transpired that day, resting her head against his chest

"I'm literally half fire dragon." Green said bluntly. "This is easier."

" _Nows your chance!"_ a voice that sounded oddly like his sister's exclaimed. " _Apologize, Green!"_

Though he could have easily brushed it off as an odd hallucination from exhaustion- this woman has given him more exercise than he had in decades- but the advice sounded plausible.

" _She just needs to fall in love with you!"_ Golds voice echoed in his head.

"I'm... sorry." he muttered. Blue shifted, leaning up again and blinking her eyes at him.

"For?" she teased.

"Hurting you."

"And?"

"Yelling at you."

" _Aaaaaaand~?"_ she sang this word out, a sly smile on her face.

"I don't know!" he huffed. "For scaring you? I'm just sorry, okay?"

"You're funny when you're uncomfortable." Blue hummed. Green blinked at her. She closed her eyes with a grin. "Apology accepted." she said with a content, yet somehow teasing, smile, falling back into his chest with a small thump. "I'm sorry for entering the West Wing without permission."

Leaning back in his chair, Blue shifting slightly to regain her comfortable position. Green waited until he heard soft snores before he smiled slightly.

"Apology accepted." he said, lowering his head and letting unconsciousness take over.

o.0.o.0.o

"Oh. My. Arceus."

Crystal had her mouth covered with the leaf atop her head, staring at the two larger forms snuggling- _snuggling-_ together on the chair.

She had come in her to pick up some blankets that had somehow gotten strewn about, but now she was looking at her master and the girl from the town sleeping together on the chair. N-Not even friends did that! Did that mean...? Could it be possible...?!

The grandfather clock tolled midnight, indicating the beginning of the new year. They never celebrated such holidays anymore, but she knew that the servants were all milling about keeping up the tradition of having to stay up till midnight. Usually, new years wasn't a festive holiday, just a cruel reminder of the curse and another year beginning of being stuck in a small form, being viewed as pokémon rather than human... But now there was something truly worth celebrating.

She hurried out the door. She had to report this, quickly...!

"Heya, Crys." she whirled around to look at Gold, a teasing grin on his face. "Can I have the first kiss of the year?"

Crystal didn't even care it was Gold. She bounded over, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, then continued on.

"Gold, we truly have something to celebrate this year!" she whispered so not to wake Green in the next room. "Gather everyone up! Pour the champagne! We must make a toast for the hope of being human again!"

o.0.o.0.o

"Green?" Red cautiously moved about the tattered room of the prince. Even though Green granted him, and only him, permission to enter the room, he still felt uneasy about perhaps disturbing the man he served.

He pushed aside a tattered curtain hanging down and saw Green with his hands resting on a small table, head bowed and eyes closed. Red took one look at the small daisy floating inside the glass case and withheld gasped.

A petal had fallen.

A petal had never fallen from Daisy before. Never in the near century the curse had afflicted the castle. Never ever. But this... this was the first month of the last year... Did that mean that each month of the year is represented by one of Daisy's petals? Were they acting... as some sort of countdown?

Judging from Green's form, he seemed to have figured it out for himself.

"Green?" this time he said the name in a gentler tone. Green straightened his form, though never tore his eyes from the flower.

"Leave me be." Green said quietly. "I need to mourn."

o.0.o.0.o

Blue couldn't believe how quickly the year had passed by, filled with nothing but ever improving times. She got Green to leave his room, and throughout the seasons, she saw different sides of him. In spring, she braided flowers into his hair while he was asleep- courtesy of Jiggly's singing. In summer, she soaked him with water courtesy of Blasty while he was asleep- courtesy of Jiggly's singing. And in the fall, she buried him in leaves while he was asleep- courtesy of Jiggly's singing.

Jiggly the jigglypuff enjoyed singing.

The two pokémon who rescued her that day had arrived on the doorstep of the castle three days later, Jiggly waving the locket around as Blasty non-to-discreetly blasted through the doors and somehow found her room. After Green confirmed the blastoise and the jigglypuff were not enemies- as Red was about to shock them both to oblivion- he went back to his room.

Blue still had the locket, safely clipped around her neck and tucked under the collar of her dress. She sometimes felt a little guilty about keeping it from Green, but he either hadn't noticed or hadn't cared, as he never asked. She snapped open the locket again, staring at the photo inside. It was the older woman from the portrait in his room. The smile was undeniable. It was the same woman.

Blue always wondered who it was. After all, she had to be important in both status and in Green's heart if there was a portrait of her in in his room and a picture in a locket he had on him.

Anyways, winter had rolled again, and honestly, Blue couldn't help but feel... strangely happy. Even though the servants were pokémon, she, oddly enough, began to form human faces for them. Yellow was a petite thing and had blond hair and wide amber eyes, looking younger than she truly was. Red had dark black hair, spiked up, though nothing like Green's, with Red eyes, having perhaps six inches over her.

Green didn't go on his angry rampages anymore, and Blue liked to say she had something to do with that. He didn't even get mad when she shoved snow down the back of his shirt when the snow first came in. She hardly doubted he felt it, what with being half a charizard and all, but all in all, she only had one regret over the year.

She was no closer to breaking the curse or figuring out how to break it. Not that she minded their pokémon forms, but they seemed so sad like that. She wanted them to be happy again, and somehow, someway, she had a feeling that this was more than them being stuck as pokémon and Green a monster.

"Hey White," she asked in an attempt to clear her head of the single snivy was still working with her hair. Apparently, Green was planning something big. Something she wasn't allowed to know about. She pouted. Meanie-Greeny not letting her in on the fun. "When I was in Green's room, a little over a year ago, I saw a portrait of a woman with long brown hair. Who was that woman?"

White ceased her movement, holding her hair, then pinning a bright blue rose behind her ear, deciding to keep her hair down. Then, and only then, had White paused fully to look at her.

"That was Lady Daisy." she said, a nostalgic undertone to her voice. "She's a wonderful person."

Noting the present tense on the word 'she', Blue spoke.

"So she's still alive? Why hadn't I met her yet?"

"Yes, she's still alive. You hadn't met her because of the curse."

"Is she embarrassed of the form she took on?"

"No."

"Then why can't I meet her?"

"Because of the curse."

"Ah." Blue nodded in understanding. "Another one of 'Ye Magical Rules of Thine Curse'? That's why you can't tell me?"

"Yeah." White smiled. Someone suddenly slammed the door open. Startled, Blue turned to see Topaz stomping into the room.

"Get yer ass in gear for *bleep*'s sake." she spat, crossing her arms. "The Master's gonna be ready soon, and I don't want all the work we did to be for nothin' because she decided to take for-*bleep*ing-ever to get ready."

"Ready for what?" Blue decided to try her luck on Topaz this time. She's been pestering White since she came in to help her, and had gotten no where.

"For the fucking surprise." Topaz huffed. "So hurry the fuck up."

Then she walked out, muttering profanities under her breath.

"She always does that when she gets stressed." White chided gently, hopping down the desk and walking over to the wardrobe. "Ready to see your dress?" Blue grinned, nodding her head like a child on Christmas morning. Using her vines, she expertly latched onto the handles, and pulled the door open.

Blue stared wide-eyed on what was on the inside.

It had to be the most beautiful dress she's ever seen. It was a strapless blue ball gown, the color reminding her of something akin to sapphires, the skirt layers upon layers of tule with silver sparkles gathering at the bottom hem and sprinkling throughout the dress like stars. The top of the dress was also sparkled with silver, though it seemed to be more organized into a pattern, making it different from the sparkles on the skirt. Wrapped under the breasts and winding around her waist, tied at the hip, was aquamarine tule, the ends trailing down to the bottom of the skirt.

"Holy Arceus." she whispered. She's never seen such a beautiful dress! There was nothing like this back in her small little village; all the dresses were either simple and affordable or an abundance of ruffles and bows that were way out of everyone's price range. But this... this was amazing! "I've never seen anything like it! Where did you even get it?"

There was a chuckle from the doorway. Both turned to see Sapphire standing in the doorway, a bright red ribbon wound around her neck. Blue glanced at it, figuring it was her dress clothes for the night.

"It's a Ruby original." she stated, walking forward.

"He made this?" she whispered in awe, wondering how he managed to do it considering he had paws over hands. "How?!"

"With a lot of work." Sapphire smiled, she turned to Blue. "What do you think that he was doing, holing himself up in his room all that time?" she asked gruffly. "For as much of a pansy he is, when it comes to this stuff, he's a hard worker."

The admiration was clear in her voice. Blue shared a sly look with White.

"Sapphire, do you have a _thing_ for Ruby?" Blue teased. Sapphire fell into silence, and Blue swore the orange feathers on her little torchic face became a slightly darker shade of red.

"I'll peck yer eyes out!" Sapphire shrieked, then bolted out of the room. There was a moment of silence before Blue and White burst into fits of giggles.

"Come on," White said, gesturing Blue over to the wardrobe. "Let's get this on and go meet with Prince Green."

o.0.o.0.o

Green was stiff as a board as he waited at the bottom of the stairs. He hadn't worn a nice suit since the night that he was cursed, and now that he was practically seven feet tall with wings, Ruby had to work on crafting a whole new one for him.

"You're not nervous, are you, Green?" Red asked, adjusting his little black bow tie around his neck as he stood next to him on the railing.

"No."

"You are."

"No, I'm not."

"You are." Red smiled knowingly. "Don't worry. It'll be fine."

"This is the last chance. The last ditch effort. If not, Daisy will..."

"Hey," Red interrupted him. "This is not the time for that. This is going to be a happy night. Daisy will want to hear all about it. So be happy for her."

"But what if Blue doesn't feel anything for me? What if... she doesn't love me?"

"Then at least have a good story for Daisy when this is over." Red smiled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to find Yellow."

Green watched as he climbed down the banister, scurrying off to find his fiancé, leaving Green alone. With his acute hearing, he heard Blue's footsteps, and suddenly a woman he barely recognized was coming towards him.

It took him a moment to realize that it was Blue. After all, all he'd ever seen her in was some sort of version of the same black dress. But upon closer look, he realized it _was_ Blue. Nothing could change the ever present mischievousness that hid in her eyes, no matter what.

"Well?" Blue asked in a teasing manner as she descended the stairway. "Are you going to stand there gawking like a village idiot or are you going to go on and on about how beautiful I am?" with this, she laughed her signature 'ho, ho, ho!' laugh.

Yes, Green decided, this was definitely Blue.

"You," he said taking her hand and kissing her knuckles. "Look radiant."

He stood to his full height again, slightly smirking at Blue averted her gaze, blushing, and looking anywhere but at him.

"To dinner, milady?" he asked, all the etiquette courses from when he was a child suddenly surging back to him. Blue chuckled at that, as if finding it humorous.

"Of course, good sir." she said with a mock british accent.

"... I do not sound like that."

"By saying all that fancy stuff you do!"

o.0.o.0.o

To say that Topaz was happy was an understatement. She was absolutely *bleep*ing ecstatic.

For the first time in a near century, there was actually some form of hope. She had secretly watched from the shadows with her fellow workers as Green and Blue enjoyed their night. Dinner went swimmingly as it always did with them, and then, about halfway through, Gold whispered for her to start the music.

At first, she felt the overwhelming need to smack him across the room. He knew that she hadn't tried to play music with her Meloetta powers in over eighty years! She lost the heart and soul to even try. But... With the hopeful glances from her friends, she caved, and gave it a go.

A good call on her part, because the music that came forth was pretty damned impressive. Almost immediately upon hearing the violins and other string instruments, Blue scooted her chair back, grabbed Green's hands, and dragged him to the now clean ballroom.

Took forever in a day to clean the place, but for fuck's sake, it was _so worth it._ They were dancing, and Topaz almost wanted to get ing their and smack their heads together in a forced kiss just to see if the curse would break.

After a couple songs, Green and Blue left for the balcony, giving them all a chance to have a mini-celebration. After all, they would be human in a few short hours.

Now the music was going on it's own, without her need to control every second of it. As the other's went off in pairs to try their hand, paws, or whatever they had to try their hand in dancing, she opted to leave the ballroom and take a moment to herself.

Leaning against the wall, she tilted her head back. Arceus damn, she could almost see it. Having her blond hair again, being able to reach the table without climbing up a bunch of shit, wearing fucking pants and working her welding like she always had...

"Topaz?"

"For *bleep*'s sake, you're ruining my *bleep*ing daydream." she spat at whoever it was.

"Well excuse me for checking up on ya!"

Topaz rolled her eyes as Pearl came flapping in. He was the only male in the house ballsy enough-or stupid, she couldn't figure out which- to bother her when she didn't want to be bothered.

"What do you want, Pearl?"

"To get you back in that ballroom. Aren't you going to dance?"

"If you're trying to get me to dance with you, it's not gonna work. You're shorter than me and I like my men tall."

In response, he flapped his wings so he was a little above her head.

"Not gonna work, stupid." she herself lifted a little off the ground. "Meloetta's can fly too."

Pearl huffed in response as both landed on the ground.

"I'm taller than you in human form, you know."

"Yeah, well, we won't be human unless the lovebirds decide to confess." Topaz huffed. "Speaking of which, how're they doing?"

"No idea." Pearl shrugged. "They're just sitting out there, talking."

"That's it? No new developments."

"Nope." Pearl shook his head, huffing angrily.

"I'm worried." Topaz admitted.

"Why's that? You saw they way they were acting. They've totally got a thing for each other, I don't see-"

"What if it's one-sided?" she interrupted, looking him dead on. "What if only Green loves her? What if he fell for her instead of the other way around? You know what the curse said. What are we going to do if we're stuck like this, forever?"

Pearl didn't say anything. So Topaz decided to what she always did when she was angry. She punched him in the face.

"Say something! Tell me that I'm not going to be stuck at two-foot-oh for the rest of my life! Tell me I'll be able to actually make myself dinner without the fear of falling or breaking my neck! Tell me that you'll be taller than me one day! Say something to make me feel like this isn't all entirely _pointless!_ "

"I can't." Pearl said, oddly calm after her literal assault. "But we've been pokémon for a near hundred years, we could do a hundred more."

"I don't wanna be stuck like this for another minute." Topaz whispered.

"Then you'll have to have faith in Master Green." Pearl paused. "And if we do become human again, well, so to say..."

"What?" Topaz hissed out bitterly. Damn, when did she become such a pessimist all of a sudden.

"Maybe, after Yellow and Red's wedding, I could take you to town for dinner or something."

Topaz widened her eyes.

"Did you just ask me on a date, bird brain?"

"Yes."

"Well, aren't you confident." Topaz hummed, a smirk falling into place.

"Well? What do you say?" he asked almost a bit to forcefully. My, my, isn't he impatient.

"I say..." she drew out the words. It was fun to watch him squirm. "Y-"

The word was suddenly cut off as the doors to the castle were pushed open, and a figure entered the foyer. Topaz and Pearl stared wide eyed as a woman stood shakily for a moment, clutching two bundles to her chest, then fell to the ground, two infants beginning to wail as she hit the ground.

o.0.o.0.o

Blue nervously smoothed down the tule of her dress though this only proved to make the cloth even more creased then before. She hadn't the slightest idea why she was so nervous. This was only _Green_ after all.

"Are you happy here?" Green asked.

"Of course I am!" she answered without thinking. "I haven't been happier than I was here." she tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Except for maybe that first week or so, but all that aside, I love it here."

"Are you happy here..." he gently grabbed her hands, his green orbs meeting her gaze. "With me?"

"My happiest times," she stated with a soft smile. "Are here, with you." She paused as her heart painfully panged in her chest. Had she not had happy times with Silver? Or what about teasing Onyx about Opal and Carnelian? Or shopping for baby items for Jade?

"What is it?" Green asked. Blue hadn't realized she averted her gaze until she looked back at his worry clouded orbs.

"I was thinking about my little brother, Silver. His birthday was the twenty-fourth, you know. He would be seventeen. I also had two friends, Jade and Onyx. They were married, and Jade was due to have a baby around the end of december. I liked to tease Onyx about his overprotectiveness of his sister, Opal. She was seeing a magician named Carnelian, and even though I didn't know them as well as Jade and Onyx, they were still my friends." she sighed. "What I'd give to see them again. Just to make sure everything's okay. I just... miss them, I guess."

The guilt that tore through his eyes killed her, but she couldn't think of a convincing lie that would get past him. So she told the truth.

"There is a way, you know." he said with a soft smile, pulling her up as he stood. With ease, he lifted her up and they were suddenly airborne. Blue let out a gasp as she saw the drop under them, tightening her grip on his coat before they landed. She blinked.

"Isn't this..."

"My room, yes." Green answered, walking through the balcony doors and into his room, not putting her down until they were standing in front of the small table with the daisy, still protected by glass, sitting on it. She noticed only a single petal remained on the daisy, but said nothing, watching as Green carefully picked up a hand mirror. "This mirror," he said, showing the reflective side to her. "Can show you anything you wish to see. Anything at all."

"Anything...?" Blue trailed off, taking the mirror as she looked up at him. He nodded in confirmation. Looking down at it again, she spoke. "Show my brother, Silver." she paused, then added a 'please'. Suddenly, the mirror crackled with green magic, and an image appeared.

Blue nearly fainted on the spot.

Her little brother was in a cold, dark place, obviously sick from Arceus knows what, head resting on the lap of the all to familiar Soul.

" _It's okay, Silver."_ she whispered tearfully. " _You'll get better. We didn't do anything. We're not witches. We'll be fine."_

In response, Silver simply let out a wheezing cough, tightly holding her hand.

"S-Silver..." she exclaimed as the scene faded out. "N-No..."

"What's wrong?" Green asked, forcing her attention away from the mirror.

"He's sick... and... and in a _jail cell_. Something must have happened to him. He's not dumb enough to let himself get sick..." she froze, trailing off in horror.

"What is it?" Green pressed a little more frantically. The next sentence she spoke in a whisper.

"But he's dumb enough to cross Masque." she suddenly felt very dizzy, grabbing the table for support. "And Soul said something about witches... Did Masque accuse them of witchcraft?!"

Then wailing rang throughout the palace. Both snapped their heads to the doorway.

"An infant?" Green asked incredulously. Blue found herself getting scooped up again by Green, hurrying out the door and through the castle hallways. He landed at the front foyer with the servants gathered around a fallen figure and two brown-haired infants, wailing and kicking in the tight confines of their blankets. Blue widened her eyes at the espeon ears and umbreon ears, but hardly said a thing as her gaze moved to a pale blond woman lying prone on the floor with glaceon ears coming out of her head.

She hurried over to her and flipped her over, eyes widening in surprise.

"Jade!"

o.0.o.0.o

"Mom, you can't leave us like that!" Aini cried out. Celina was completely enamored with the whole story, and even Iri looked interested at that point.

"I can and I will." she responded, shutting the book with a smile, looking over at Iri and Aini. "Think of it as your punishment for chasing after Celina with ninja swords."

"I told you that was a bad idea, Aini!" Iri immediately exclaimed.

"My idea?! You're the one who-"

"If you start a fight, I'll skip story time tomorrow." V said, crossing her arms. They immediately fell silent. "Good. Off to bed, you three."

o.0.o.0.o

 **Aaaaand this is the link to Blue's dress:**

 **imgfave view /2746901**

 **Just in case you can't picture it.**

 **Officially the longest chapter i've ever written. So the next chapter will probably be the last in this story.**

 **And at the end of this was when I realized that this story was being read to children, so I had to *bleep* out most of Topaz's vocabulary. XD**

 **Anyways, anyone have a preference on the fairy tale for Specialshipping? I'm taking suggestions!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	4. The Monster and the Thief Part 4

"Please, Celina! No one wants to hear a stupid love story!" V heard Aini shout, the sentence laced with far to much attitude considering her age.

"It's not stupid!" Celina said tearfully. "They're wonderful! Even Iri likes them!

"Yes it is! And no boy in his right mind would like a love story!"

"Says who?!"

"Says the rules! It's a rule that boys aren't allowed to like love!"

"Then you're wrong because the rules also say that girls have to love love stories!"

A pause. V smiled as Celina's little fire came out. While she was a shrinking violet in public, at home, she was quite fierce in an argument. When she got determined enough about it.

"The rules can change!"

"Says who?!"

"Says me!"

"You can't change the rules!"

"Yes I can and I just did!"

"Then I change the rules so boys can like love stories!"

"You can't change the rules!"

"Why not? You did!"

"I can because I'm the rulemaker!"

"Prove it!"

"I don't have to prove anything!"

"Do to!"

"Do not!"

"Do to!"

"Do not!"

"Do to!"

"Do not!"

"Now girls." V decided to cut in there, walking in the room. Iri was sitting on the bed, oddly passive as he watched his sisters duel it out over the rules of kids. "If you keep arguing, I won't be able to finish the story."

"And as soon as this one's done, we get pirates!" Iri exclaimed. That seemed to excite Aini while Celina pouted a moment, preferring her princess stories.

Quickly hustling her three kids on the bed, she sat down in the middle, opening the book.

"Now for the finale of _The Monster and the Thief_..."

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Monster and the Thief, Part Four_

Blue forced away all of her sisterly instincts to go after Silver to care for Jade and her children.

Honestly, she was scared. Blue did not get scared often, but seeing Jade, quite possibly one of the strongest people she knew outside of herself and Silver, collapsed on the floor in the castle foyer- combined with what she saw in the mirror- she really, really didn't want to know what Masque had done back home.

"There doesn't appear to be any visible injuries on the babies." Yellow said, scurrying down from the chair Blue had sat in, one baby in each arm.

Blue, with the help of Green, had Jade moved into her room. Blue settled in a chair, trying to calm the wailing infants. It took her a half hour, but eventually the one with the olive eyes settled on silently looking about the room and the one with the pine colored eyes took solace in tugging repeatedly at her hair.

"The one with the olive eyes is a girl." Yellow said offhandedly. "The other is a boy."

"A girl and a boy. Twins." she quietly chuckled at that.

"Do you need anything, Blue?" Yellow asked.

"No. Tell Green that everything's gonna be fine, okay?"

"Okay." Yellow nodded with one worried glance, then scurried out the door. Blue watched as she left, then turned her attention back to the babies.

"Looks like your Mommy and Daddy didn't have to worry choosing names for both genders." she said, mostly to fill the silence and to escape her own thoughts. "Good thing they narrowed it down to one for each, though." Remembering the names that Jade and Onyx had chosen, she almost burst out laughing. "Olive and Pine. Fitting, considering your eye colors. You got that from your Mom. And this brown hair?" she fiddled with a some of the hair on Olive's head. "Your Dad." she paused as her hand brushed Olive's espeon ear. "Where did these come from, though? Your mother?"

She glanced at Jade and her glaceon ears.

Her gaze moved back to the twins.

Olive blinked and Pine laughed.

"Do you think that's funny?" Blue shook her head, forgetting the ears for a moment. After all, ears or no ears, they were the offspring of her closest friends and she's spent the last year of her life befriending a Charizard hybrid and talking pokémon. "You must be near your first birthday. It's supposed to be around the end of December, right? Wonder which day." she sighed. "I hope we can get your family here to celebrate."

"The thirty-first."

"Jade?!" Blue nearly dropped the twins as she bolted up in her chair. Pine laughed again, as if he found the abrupt ride a great deal of fun while Olive whimpered. Blue glanced at her. "Oh! Crap, don't cry!" she whispered, gently bouncing her in an attempt to deter the looming wails.

She faintly heard Jade chuckle, and she snapped her head to her. Jade very rarely smiled, let alone _chuckled._ Was she well?

"You feeling alright, Jade?"

"Fine. You're humorous to listen to, is all." she held out her arms. "Pass her here. I'm sure you can handle Pine. He only starts crying when Olive does." Blue obliged, smiling as the mother rocked her child.

"So... twins."

"Twins." Jade responded. "Born the thirty-first of December."

"New Years Eve." Blue whistled. "Hear that, little one's? No matter what, there's always be a celebration for you! The whole world will celebrate your birthday!"

A heavy silence after that.

"I'm surprised you're alive, honestly." Jade said, turning to her as Olive's whimpers silenced. "The monster..."

"Jade, you're not one to believe such superstitious tales." Blue chuckled. "What changed?"

Jade didn't say anything for a moment.

"Masque's gone mad." she murmured. "Silver quickly moved out of his house after you left. At first, we figured you ran off. That it was a plan for you two. You'd leave to find someplace new to live, away from Masque, and Silver would take refuge with the blacksmith until he could meet up." she sighed. "I know it sounds crazy, but with the caring for the babies and Carnelian appearing, we somehow rationalized it."

"Carnelian's back?" Blue grinned. "That must've pissed Onyx off."

"Yes, but Opal was ecstatic, so he didn't try to interfere to much." Jade said with a smile. Pine whined, reaching for his mother.

"Looks like someone wants his Mama." Blue said. Jade chuckled, shifting Olive to one arm and reaching out for Pine. Blue passed him off and he seemed smirk, a look similar to that which Blue often saw Jade don when something went her way.

"Anyways," Jade said once the two had calmed down. "Before Carnelian, Pine and Olive were born..." she paused.

"Something tells me that what happened next has something to do with the ears." Blue said. "What are you, exactly?"

"Gijinka's." Jade shrugged. "Simply put, pokémon human hybrids."

" _Like Green."_ Blue immediately thought, widening her eyes. Everyone so feared the mythical beast, but how was he any different than her friend? They were still people... Just... different.

"We have powers, but we're not dangerous." Jade said. "Over time, we can hide the ears and tails with the help of a wizard or witch-"

"Spell?" Blue asked, recalling Carnelian's occupation as a magician. "Carnelian?"

"No, not him." Jade shook her head. "He's one as well. We usually travel in groups. It's an old rule. A group of gijinka's needs a wizard or witch around them to hide the ears, so they usually travel in the group. Our wizard died, Soul's father-"

"The baker is dead?!" exclaimed Blue. Poor Soul. She adored her father...

"Yes. He died in his sleep, so he didn't fee lit. That happened in fall and we were stuck. At this point, Masque was buying his way to power. We knew we needed to leave, but we couldn't leave Carnelian." she paused at Blue's odd look. "Think of it as a family pact."

"You're expecting him to come in the family?" Blue asked, almost teasingly.

"That, or Onyx will kill him for leading Opal on." Jade responded stoically. "So we decided to wait. I stayed in the house with Olive and Pine most of the time and Onyx went out hunting. Opal stayed with me, helping care for the kids.

"Carnelian came back when the snow melted, like he always does. He usually doesn't stay during the winter, but since Soul's father died, he was kind of forced to stay. Onyx was out hunting. It was a relatively normal day, you know? We were getting ready for Christmas, wrapping presents, waiting to celebrate their first Christmas... then twenty men burst into the door. I... ran. I abandoned Opal."

"But you did it to protect the twins." Blue said gently.

"I abandoned my kin."

"But you saved your children."

Jade said nothing for a few moments.

"Opal ordered Carnelian with me. She wanted to protect her niece and nephew, so she sent him as a guardian."

"Some guardian." Blue smirked.

"My exact words." Jade responded, shaking her head. "I hid with Soul. Silver had also taken refuge, as Masque bought the blacksmiths shop, but he's gotten really sick lately. There, he told me about what really happened with you. I think Masque had something to do with his sickness because he knew the truth about what happened to you, and if he ever wanted to attack the castle, he needed Silver out of the way."

"So he probably poisoned him." Blue growled out angrily. "And anything he did say, Masque would chalk up to fevered illusions."

Jade simply nodded as she let out a shuddery sigh.

"They arrested Opal and chained her up in the square. As bait, under orders of Masque, "to flush out the other freaks". And they... left her there."

Blue didn't know what to say for a minute.

"Onyx attacked immediately and was arrested. I heard that they tried to interrogate him for my location, but he's so stubborn that, even if he knew, he wouldn't give up our location no matter what they did." there was a soft, proud smile on her face as she thought of her husband. "Carnelian was a little more calculating. He swooped in at night. Unfortunately, guards were posted and both of them were hauled to jail."

Another heavy silence.

"They began storming random houses in search of us. Soul's house was stormed, naturally, and she was arrested along with Silver detaining fugitives." she paused. "Masque accused both of witchcraft. And with all the money he has now, he could buy anyone's support."

"How'd you escape?"

"Soul hid me in her father's secret cellar. It was basically a place they kept extra food rations in case the town ran out in winter. No one knew about it but her and her father. After everything settled down... I pulled up my hood and I ran as fast and as far as I could. I didn't stop till I came here." Blue widened her eyes as Jade began shaking. "I think... he's going to... to execute them. Masque's gone mad, I tell you. Absolutely and utterly mad."

A long silence. Blue reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault-"

"In a way, it is." Blue said with a shake of her head. "Masque's all about control. He probably thought that if he got rid of me, he'd have more control of Silver. But with me gone, Silver moved out, and he's slowly loosing the control he has. He probably snapped from that."

"What are we going to do, then?" Jade asked.

"You're staying here, where it's safe." Blue said, standing up. "You're in no condition to go anywhere, and I would personally drown you if you left your children here."

"Yes, but..." she trailed off a moment, silently contemplating, then sighing. "I am logical but prideful, you know that Blue. I'm ashamed of abandoning all of them."

"You didn't abandon them!"

"But that's what it feels like." Jade said sharply. "And unlike my husband, I'm not a stubborn idiot. I know what I can and can't handle." she shook her head. "I'm not putting my kids in anymore danger."

o.0.o.0.o

Green hunched over Daisy, sadly staring at the flower. He heard footsteps behind him, human footsteps. He knew it was her.

"How's your friend?" he asked.

"She's tired." Blue responded.

"Her children?"

"Adorable." he could almost see her grin. There was a heavy silence as Blue didn't say anything for a moment. She walked around the table to look him in the eye. She was still wearing her ball gown.

"I need to go back, Green." she whispered. "Her family... Her husband, her sister-in-law, and soon to be brother-in-law all got arrested and are due for execution. As well... as well as my brother."

Green turned back to the flower, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. He didn't have to let her go. He could force her to stay here. So what if it made her sad? So what if it made her hate him? As long as she stayed here, with him...

" _No,"_ he thought as he felt something squeeze around his heart. " _She't not my prisoner. She's my guest. She's... my friend."_

He knew what he had to do. He didn't want to, but he knew.

"Then you... you must go to them. Your friend can stay here until she's well enough to travel again."

"... Are you sure, Green?"

With a new resolve in his eyes, he turned, taking her hands and pressing her dagger into it.

"You're no longer my prisoner. I release you."

There was a long silence before Blue shook her head and wrapped her arms around him.

"For such a smart guy, Greeny, you really are stupid. I was never a prisoner." she stated with a small smile as she pulled back, glancing at the dagger in his hands. "But wow, you had this thing the whole time?"

"Yes." he said, almost guiltily.

"Well, I'm guilty too." she pointed to the locket around her neck. He blinked in surprise, then remembered giving that to Blasty and Jiggly so they'd get access to the castle. She pushed the dagger back into his hands. "Keep it. To remember me."

"As if I could forget." he forced out with a chuckle.

"And I'll keep this!" she said with a bright grin on her face. "You forgot to ask for it back. Or perhaps you wanted me to keep it?"

Gently, his fingers cupped the small charm.

"I don't know when I'll be back." Blue said, new determination in her eyes as she reached up and gripped his hand. "But I'll come back. And when I do, I'll break the curse."

Green simply nodded, letting his hand drop. It felt as if his heart was going to break if she kept talking.

"Thanks for everything, Greeny."

Again, he nodded.

She began walking away, presumably to go change into better traveling clothes. With the dagger tightly gripped in his hand, he continued to stare at Daisy.

"Goodbye, Blue."

He heard her footsteps stop, and for a brief moment, nothing being said.

"I'll be back, Greeny."

He had a feeling she was looking over her shoulder, that annoyingly beautiful mischievous smile, 'plan-B' already forming in her ocean blue eyes. He didn't look back. He couldn't trust himself not to take his word back if he looked back again.

He wondered why she paused when he said goodbye. To reassure him? To rethink her choice? To question his choice?

He watched woefully as Blue went across the bridge in her traveling clothes, hair down and whipping around her from atop Jiggly. Blasty was also there, letting out strong propels of water in order for them to go faster.

"Blue..." he muttered, when it suddenly dawned on him.

For the first time since she arrived here, he called her by her name.

Not noisy girl.

Not pesky woman.

Not simply 'you'.

He called her Blue

He clenched his fists tightly, then tilted his head back. For the first time since Daisy gave herself up to be a lifeline for him, he let out a sorrowful roar.

Of regret.

Of failure.

Of heartbreak.

After he stopped, he bowed over Daisy. What was this overwhelming sadness he was feeling? Why did it hurt so much to know she was gone?

"Green?"

"Red." he responded. Who else would it be? He was the only one who was brave enough to enter this room. Him, and Blue.

"Where's... Where's Blue?"

No doubt someone saw her leave. Rumors were probably flying.

"I let her go." he muttered, still bowing over Daisy.

"You... You _what?!"_

He turned to face him.

"I. Let. Her. Go."

"W-Why would you _do_ that?!" Red cried out. No doubt he was panicking right now. Floundering. Green squeezed his eyes shut.

"Because I had to." Normally, Red would take the hint and leave. He could have his stupid moments, but he knew when Green didn't want to discuss a subject any further.

"Y-Yes, but... but _why?"_

It wasn't supposed to happen this way. She was supposed to fall for _him...!_

"Because," he said, coming upon the realization. "I love her."

o.0.o.0.o

"He did _what?!"_

Red flinched at the outcries from his friends, all horrified or sorrowed by the news.

"Great. Just *bleep*ing great." Topaz muttered. "I told all of you this was a bad *bleep*ing idea! But did anyone *bleep*ing listen to me? _Noooooooo."_ she turned throwing her hands in the air. "Well, *bleep* Green, *bleep* all of you, *bleep* the *bleep*ed fairy, and *bleep* the Arceus-*bleep*ed, mother*bleep*ing curse!"

And with that she stormed out.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid it's true." Red said, bowing his head.

"She's... not coming back?" Yellow asked tearfully. Red nodded sadly.

"But he was _so close."_ Gold said, bowing his head.

"After all this time, too." Crystal sighed. "He finally learned to love."

"But... that's it, right?" White asked, trying to find a bit of silver lining. "Shouldn't that break the curse?"

"It's not enough." Ruby stated. "Someone needs to love _him,_ remember?"

"Now..." Sapphire trailed off, shaking her head. Emerald spoke up.

"Now it's to late, isn't it?"

No one wanted to admit it, but they had no other choice with Blue leaving and the hours dwindling away.

It was to late for the curse to be broken.

o.0.o.0.o

Blue was surprised at how quickly she managed to get back to her home village, though pulled her hood up and left Blasty and Jiggly on the outskirts so not to alert any of the villagers. Masque obviously had it out for anyone who was against him, so no doubt if she suddenly showed up, her head would be on the chopping block.

She edged towards the village square, and saw a mob of villagers wielding torches. If she stood on her tip-toes, she could see Onyx, Opal, and Carnelian chained to posts with wood around the bottom, gags tied across their mouths. Were they planning on burning them at the stake?!

She didn't know much about this newly discovered race of people, but she was pretty sure that fire wasn't going to affect Onyx, what with his flareon attributes, all that much. Opal and Carnelian, with their jolteon and leafeon attributes respectively, she wasn't to sure about. How much money did Masque dole out to get the usually gentle and docile people of her village to turn against their own?

She swallowed as Masque stepped up onto a podium, like he was some sort of high and mighty god, and turned to the three 'convicted'.

"These freaks are out to kill us! Those three," he pointed wildly at some guards, and Blue saw Soul and Silver standing there, bound with rope. If standing was what one wanted to call it. Silver was collapsed on the ground, obviously to weak to stand from whatever had gotten him sick, and Soul was a sobbing mess, about to collapse if not for the villagers holding her upright. "Can repent for their sins of witchcraft and treason! But _they_ ," he hissed the word out vehemently, as if Onyx wasn't the man he bought his meat from on occasion and Opal wasn't the young woman who made him his favorite fur coat. "Will make off with our children and wives in the night! They stole Blue away, after all! They sent her to the monster!"

He was using her disappearance as an excuse?! _He_ sent her away!

"We shall rid the village of them!"

"Aye!" they all shouted.

"Then we'll lay siege to the monster's castle and rescue my daughter!"

"Aye!" the shouted again.

"Masque...!" she growled out, suddenly shoving her way through the crowd. "Masque!" she shouted a bit louder, over the cheering of villagers. Once at the front, just but a few feet from her friends, she yanked down her hood. "How dare you tell such lies!" she turned to the village people. "This man is a conman and a thief! He's turning you into monsters! Look at these people!" she waved her hand to Onyx, Opal, and Carnelian. "Are those two not the siblings who helped supply you with food and clothes for the winter? Is that man not the person you sat your children in front of for magic tricks? What's _wrong_ with you?"

There was silence for a moment. Then...

"She's alive..."

"Did she escape from the beast?"

"But Masque said that he barely escaped with his life..."

Blue smirked. Well, then, it seems all of the lies are finally piling up.

"You're listening to an idiot!" Blue announced, climbing up to the podium. "The monster that lives in the castle is not a threat! He's actually _quite_ the gentleman if you get to know him." she smiled fondly as she thought of. Honestly, she had an inkling that he wouldn't be half-bad looking if he wasn't part Charizard. "Sure, he can be serious and a party-pooper sometimes, but he's not at all as beastly as he's made out to be. He's kind and sweet. He's my friend."

"It sounds like..." Masque stated, gripping her shoulders and forcing her around. "You have... _feelings_ for this monster."

Blue narrowed her eyes into a glare, wrenching herself free from his grasp, taking a step back as her hand reached up to clasp the locket Green had given her.

"He's no monster, Masque." she said, the full hate for the man coming out in the sentence. "You are!"

Unsure chatters went across the people. Blue could tell that Masque was struggling to come up with an excuse or something to explain that Green truly was a monster, that he was right.

Blue felt a shiver go up her spine as something flashed through his eyes. Did he... have an idea? She only saw that look when he had an idea to rob someone senseless...

Suddenly, he snatched her wrist, the one bearing the faint scar of a burn that Green had accidentally inflicted a year prior, holding it up so high that she was nearly on her tiptoes.

"This woman has been bewitched by the beast!" he suddenly shouted, moving his fingers and holding a torch to the scar. "This must be his mark!" he paused, judging the crowds reactions. Some looked horrified, others looked confused.

"That's no mark and I'm not bewitched!" Blue exclaimed, trying to wrench her arm free. Masque only tightened his grip.

"He's bewitched her to tell lies! To bring more prisoners to his castle! He'll come after your children! He'll steal your wives! Your daughters!" he continued. Blue scowled, trying to break free again.

The next words that come out of his mouth set shivers down her spine.

"I say we kill the monster!"

Cheers of agreement rose up from the crowd, raising weapons they had brought should their prisoners attempt to escape.

"What should we do with the prisoners?" Carl asked.

"Keep the freaks in chains. We'll take them with us and use them as bait." he turned to Soul and Silver. "I wouldn't assume any of you would like to fight? Not that you _can."_ he sneered the last word out, as if to mock the two.

Masque grinned, turning to see the crowds rallying around him.

"Anyone not with us is against us!" he shouted. "We don't need witches and freaks and people who are willing to protect the beast!"

More cries of agreement rang out.

"We'll use them as bait!"

"No...!" Blue exclaimed, glancing at Soul, who was practically on her knees with fear. Silver must have gained consciousness, because he was now shooting one of his most fearsome glares at Masque. The glare still sent shivers up Blue's spine. Even though he was on the ground, tied up, and sick, Blue knew immediately by the fierceness of the glare that he was planning on slaughtering Masque the minute he could move again.

She turned her own glare back to him.

"I won't let you do this!" she exclaimed, rearing back to punch him. She didn't know what would be any different if she tried to hit him this time. Anytime any of his kids decided to fight back, he always beat them down to the point of near unconsciousness. He, after all, taught them how to fight. He knew all their moves. So when he simply caught her punch and bent back to lock the joint, she wasn't surprised.

What she was surprised by was when he released her wrist, reared back, and sent a near bone shattering punch to her temple. He never actually aimed for a knockout punch. He liked to prolong the beatings.

She stumbled about a bit, feeling as if her brain was being shaken around like a pokémon caught in an earthquake attack.

"We'll lay siege to the castle!" she heard Masque shout, though he sounded far off. "And bring back his head!"

Then she stumbled to the left and blacked out.

o.0.o.0.o

"I knew it." Pearl said, pacing back and forth. Diamond stood nearby, to depressed to even pick up a piece of food, while Black and White stood off to the side. All the other members of the house had gone off to who know's where, either to comfort their friends or loved ones or to drown their sorrow in work, food, or whatever they so chose to drown their sorrows in. "I _knew_ it was foolish to get our hopes up!"

"Maybe it would have been better if she had never come at all!" Black stated bitterly.

They heard the barely shut door creak open, and turned, seeing the baby with the espeon ears crawling through. Judging by the fact that she was now donned in a soft pink and warm-looking onesie, tail sticking out a convenient hole in the back, they guessed she was a girl.

"What are you doing, crawling around?" White mused, approaching the baby as she went to the window, looking out it. Her ears folded back, tears brimming as she looked outside.

Then she tilted her head back and wailed.

"Here she is, Miss Jade." they heard Emerald say as the door opened, revealing the woman who stumbled in holding her other child, this one wearing a blue onesie.

"This is unlike her." Jade murmured, following the baby's cries and scooping her up. "Usually you stay in place and Pine makes the grand escape. What's gotten into you, Olive?"

"Dada!" the boy exclaimed, reaching at the window. Jade blinked.

"Could it be...?" she wondered, turning to the window, ears erect and alert, as if listening. "Blue couldn't have rescued them this quickly, correct? It's only been a few hours..."

"Blue?" White asked, a hint of excitement in her voice as the five pokémon scurried to the window.

"Is it she?" Diamond exclaimed, running as quickly as possible over to the window.

A collective gasp rang out.

"Invaders!" exclaimed Black.

"And they have prisoners!" Pearl sounded horrified.

"Prisoners...?!" Jade turned to his voice.

"There's three men and two women." Black elaborated. "One man has flareon ears. Brown hair, I think? One had leafeon ears with white hair to the shoulders, one woman has jolteon ears with long brown hair, and the other man is a redhead, the woman has brown pigtails."

"Those are our allies!" Jade exclaimed. "The man with the flareon ears is my husband!" she glanced at Olive, who was still sniffling, and Pine, who was grinning, as if looking forward to a fight.

"Look closely at the man at the front." Diamond said, narrowing his eyes. Everyone turned their attention to him, and gasped at the figure over his shoulder.

"That was what Miss Blue was wearing when she left!" White exclaimed.

"Someone alert the master!" Pearl said, whipping around. "Jade, find a place to hide with your kids! I'll alert the rest of the household." he turned back to the window, seeing that the invaders had already had a log, as if to use it as a battering ram. "If it's a fight they want, we'll be ready for them!"

He was only answered by the sound of hurried footsteps. He turned again and saw that everyone had already left the room.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, following after them, quickly spreading the news of invaders. He saw Emerald climbing the walls to the West Wing to alert Green, White leading Jade to a safe spot, most likely.

As he returned with the last of his friends, he saw Jade and the others leaning heavily on the door, as if to stop the battering ram.

"What are you doing?" Pearl hissed as he landed on her shoulder. She looked over at him.

"This is my family that's on the line. Oliva and Pine are safe in the nursery, they'll be fine because if anyone goes near the nursery, I'll slaughter them."

"We aren't aiming to kill them!" Yellow exclaimed. "Just drive them out!"

"They captured my husband and threatened my children. Do you blame me for my hostility?"

"Not at all." White stated, jerking as the battering ram smashed into the door again.

"*Bleep*, this isn't working!" Topaz exclaimed.

"What are we going to do?!" Diamond cried.

There was a moment of silence.

"Wait..." Black murmured, then grinned. "I know!"

o.0.o.0.o

"P-Pardon me, Master." Emerald muttered nervously as he slipped inside the forbidden room. He saw Green hunched over Daisy, clutching something in his hand, changed out of his nice suit and mourning.

"Leave me in peace." he stated sadly.

"But sir!" exclaimed Emerald in a panic. He could faintly hear them chanting 'Kill the beast! Kill the beast!'. "The castle is under attack! They have prisoners and one of them-" he paused as he heard a crunching noise. Had they gotten through the door?!

He gulped. Yeah, he was the youngest servant, but right now, he also had to be the bravest.

"What should we do, Master?!" he exclaimed.

"It doesn't matter now." Green stated, placing a hand gently on the glass. He stared up at the window. It was raining. How ironic. "Just let them come."

o.0.o.0.o

"Take whatever booty you can find," Masque said to his mob of villagers as the locked wooden door began to break under the pressure of their makeshift battering ram. "But remember, the beast is mine!"

The door flew open, the only source of light being that from the flickering torches on the wall. They silently prodded their prisoners in first with pitchforks and swords, waiting for something to happen. When nothing happened, someone grabbed ahold of the linked prisoners and they slowly stepped inside.

Being sure to keep an ear open, they all looked around the foyer.

"What on earth...?" Masque murmured, looking around. Where was all the gold and jewels lying about? Where were the talking pokémon? The ferocious beast?

A moment of silence.

"Now!" a voice suddenly shouted.

Next thing they knew, they were being attacked by pokémon. Masque looked about frantically, then made a break for the stairs with one of his throwing knives in one hand and Blue still over his shoulder.

He needed to find the beast!

o.0.o.0.o

Yellow saw Jade smirking in satisfaction as the man holding onto the chains and rope of their prisoners froze over from the neck down. With a simple tug, she broke it free and dragged them away from the chaos.

Yellow watched as she immediately went to work, using a bobby pin to pick the locks on the shackles around the white-haired man's wrists. Once those clattered to the ground, she moved onto the girl and then the brown haired man. Yellow, in the meantime, kept a lookout as she began trying to heal the red-haired man.

"Why'd you leave me for last?" whined the flareon-ears man as he ripped off his gag.

"Best for last." Jade shrugged as they embraced.

"Shit, where are the kids?" panic rose as he leaned back, gripping Jade by her shoulders.

"They're safe." Jade stated simply as they leaned down to untie Soul and Silver.

"Thank Arceus you're safe, Jade!" Soul exclaimed once the ropes and gag was removed. She teared up a bit, shaking her head. "With everything that happened, I just don't know what to believe anymore!"

"You must be Onyx, Opal, and Carnelian." Yellow said, looking up at them. "Miss Blue's friends, correct?"

"Well, it seems I'm famous, even among pokémon." Carnelian said haughtily. Opal rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, we're her friends. The girl with those gravity defying things is Soul." Opal said, pulling out two hair ties and pulling her long brown hair into two pigtails at the nape of her neck so they tumbled over her shoulders.

"So this is... Silver?" Yellow asked, glancing up at Soul as the young man drifted back into unconsciousness. "Miss Blue's brother?"

"Yes." Soul sighed shakily. "He's been sick like this for weeks."

Yellow nodded in response, placing her paws on his chest as Soul brought his head onto her lap.

"Are you guys strong enough to fight?" Jade asked.

"Doesn't matter if we're strong enough." Opal grinned, her pigtails crackling with electricity. "I wanna show them something to truly be afraid of."

"I want to get him somewhere safe." Yellow said. "He's been poisoned, and it will take a while for my powers to clear it up."

"Go to the nursery, then." Jade said. "Pine and Olive are there, and I at least want someone with them."

Soul cast a fearful glance at the battle going on.

"We'll protect you." Onyx grinned rolling up his sleeve.

"A-Alright..." Soul murmured, hauling Silver to his feet and slinging one of his arms over his shoulder, easing towards the staircase while Onyx and Opal covered for them with fire and electricity respectively.

Suddenly, Yellow felt something wrap around her waist and fling her across the room and up the stairs. Soul and Silver landed beside her, Silver groaning in pain, though still in his unconscious state, and Soul letting out a shriek.

Yellow whipped around and saw vines grabbing up villages and throwing them out the front door, seemingly being controlled by Carnelian while Jade was forming a wall of ice to block anyone from going any further. Her eyes flicked across the battlefield, trying to find a trace of Red. She saw him fighting off a villager with an axe.

" _Please,"_ she thought. " _Don't get yourself killed."_

o.0.o.0.o

Green could hear someone kicking in doors.

 _BAM._

A pause. Some footsteps.

 _BAM._

Another pause.

 _BAM._

One of them has finally reached his room, it seems. He looked over his shoulder to see the intruder. He was the man who came to him almost a year ago. Masque, Blue's father who begged and pleaded for his worthless life. Green didn't feel like having him whimpering about in his castle, so he made that deal with him. He had something slung over his shoulder. He assumed it was bag filled with valuables. After all, this man so willingly traded Blue for pointless diamonds and gold.

Blue...

It was funny, really. A year ago, he would have slaughtered anyone who dared to step foot on the castle grounds, let alone touch something that was his. But then he realized you didn't truly understand the value of a person until they were gone. He gripped the dagger tighter. The last reminder.

He missed her.

Let him kill me, he decided. What was the point? Blue was gone, never to return, his sister was dying, his friends were trapped as pokémon, he, a monster. He's failed everyone. He shouldn't be allowed to live.

A piercing pain suddenly shot through his left wing. He roared in agony, grappling at whatever had managed to get his weak spot with one hand. He couldn't let go of the precious dagger that belonged to her. He wouldn't. He stumbled away from Daisy's table, so not to knock her over, when the man suddenly shoved him through the glass window.

The glass shattered from the impact. Green rolled over, groping at the railing of the balcony to stand back up. Masque suddenly kicked him over the railing, tumbling down the rooftop and close to the edge. He hissed as he was pelted with rain. He never much liked it before he was a charizard monster and he certainly didn't like it now.

He heard a faint thud, and glanced over to see Masque had jumped down. He uncaringly deposited the bundle over his shoulder and began walking towards him.

"Get up." he stated simply. Green glanced at him. He lost the will to fight back. He didn't even care at this point. His refusal to move seemed to irritated Masque, so he cruelly dug the heel of his boot into the wound on his back, then kicked him so he rolled closer to the edge. "Get _up."_ he paused, as if admiring his handiwork. "What's the matter, monster?" he chuckled. "To _kind_ and _sweet_ to fight back?"

Green didn't respond. He simply averted his gaze, watching as the villagers who apparently stormed the castle ran for their lives. Had his servants already driven them away?

He heard something crack, and saw that Masque had somehow managed to rip a piece of the stonework free from the castle to use it as a makeshift club.

"No!"

Green blinked as he recognized the voice. And it sounded close...

"Don't hurt him!"

He watched as something yanked at Masque's hair, trying to stop him from killing him. Masque paused, then whipped around, sending her flying. Green widened his eyes.

" _BLUE!"_

o.0.o.0.o

Silver groaned, blinking his eyes awake as he tried to recall where he was. This isn't... the town square. A... A room?

A wail rang out in the room.

"A nursery?" he murmured.

"How are you feeling?"

He blinked again, and saw a pikachu with a flower behind its ear.

"You were poisoned, but I managed to clear the toxin's from your body. Fastest healing I've ever done, let me tell you!"

The pikachu just talked.

The *bleep*ing pikachu just talked.

"Silver!" he barely had time to recognize the voice as Soul's before he was glomped in a hug, pressing his face into her chest. "Arceus, I thought you were gonna die!"

" _I will if you don't let me go!"_ he thought, already feeling his face go as red as his hair. He quickly placed both hands on her shoulders, pushing her back and bowing his head to gain control of his emotions. Then he lifted his head to look her in the eye and spoke.

"Before we start the hysterics, could someone _please_ tell me what's going on? I swear I just saw that pikachu talk and _pikachu's do not talk."_

"It's a really, really long story, and honestly, I don't even know what's going on right now either." Soul stated with a silly grin. "But this pikachu is Yellow, and she's on the good side!"

So Soul heard the pikachu talk as well. That meant he was sane.

...

Or it could mean that his girlfriend is just as crazy as him.

Dammit.

"You were poisoned." Soul murmured as she proceeded to hug him much less violently and with a much less chance of suffocating him. Silver blinked at her shocked tone, placing a hand on the back of her head as some sort of comfort. Honestly? He wasn't all that surprised that his 'sickness' turned out to be poisoning. Masque would resort to underhanded things like that just to gain something.

He blinked. Underhanded. Wasn't Blue there? Didn't he... carry her somewhere? Dammit, with his lapses of consciousness, he could hardly remember what the heck he ate today.

"Soul..." he trailed off as she looked up at him, cocking her head curiously. "Where's Blue?"

" _BLUE!"_

"That was Master Green!" Yellow exclaimed. "Something must have happened!"

"Damn you, Masque." Silver hissed under his breath as he stood, feeling much stronger now.

"We can't leave them here!" Soul said, pointing to a crib. Silver blinked, seeing two brown haired babies sitting in it. Weren't those Jade and Onyx's twins.

"I think the fight is done..." Yellow murmured, ears twitching. "Let's take them."

Soul nodded, scooping up both infants and nodding in confirmation.

" _Whoever this 'Master Green' is,"_ he thought, opening the doors. " _He better damn well keep my sister safe."_

o.0.o.0.o

Green almost leapt after Blue, wing injury or no wing injury, only to see her land on a huge pink thing. He thanked every pokémon god he could think of that it was Jiggly.

"Master Green!" he faintly heard his servants calling for him. A roar rang out, and he saw Blasty on the bridge, almost celebrating Blue's safety. Green only paid attention only to the fact that Blue was here. Was the bundle Masque had over his shoulder Blue? What was he going to do?

Masque swung the club down, and with newly found vigor, Green grabbed to club in one of his huge hands. He stood, fighting for dominance over the weapon.

"What were you going to do?" he growled out. "What were you going to do?" Masque refused to respond, so Green lunged at him, and both tumbled down the rooftop again, this time onto a balcony with gargoyles. Green took this as a chance to hide, positioning himself to look like the gargoyles. After all, the rain had to obstruct Masque's vision quite a bit.

He watched, still suffering from the wound inflicted earlier, as Masque stalked between them, trying to find his target. Across from him, Green watched as he smashed a gargoyles head. Masque smirked a moment, thinking he has won, only to notice that he was standing in the middle of stone rubble rather than blood and bone.

"Come on out and fight!" he ordered, annoyance crossing his features. "Were you in love with her, monster? Did you honestly _think,"_ he smashed another gargoyles head. "I'd relinquish _my_ control over her and give her to you?"

Green could feel a growl building in the back of his throat. Blue couldn't be controlled. That would be like trying to control a patch of wildflowers.

He rose up behind him, prepared to melt his stupid skin off his stupid head with his powers, when he suddenly whipped around, trying to smash his skull with the club. Green ducked, grabbing at the club, again, trying to gain dominance of rip it away. Somehow, Masque got him loose, and swung wildly with Green dodging each time.

Green grimaced as he felt the edge under his feet. He was on the edge. And his wing... He wouldn't be able to just fly.

He was cornered.

Masque cackled, raising the club over his head to strike him.

"It's over, monster," he grinned. "Blue is mine!"

At that point, something snapped in Green.

"Blue belongs to _NO ONE!"_ he shouted.

Green lunged at him, grabbing the club, his hands on fire, heating it to the point that Masque was forced to drop it. He stumbled to the ground, and Green took the chance to snatch him up by his neck, and with one hand, dangled him over the edge.

"Let me go!" he exclaimed, going from dominant to begging in a heartbeat. "Please! Don't hurt me! I'll do anything! _Anything!"_

Green didn't relinquish his hold nor the dark glare. This man attacked his castle. This man tried to hurt his servants. This man hurt Blue's friends and hunted after a mother and her _infants._

This man tried to kill Blue.

He was in every way justified in letting this man fall to his death, of murdering him.

" _But didn't this man,"_ he flinched slightly. Was that... Daisy? " _Bring Blue to you?"_

As much as Green hated to admit it, that was true. If it weren't for this man and his greed, he'd have never met Blue. He'd had remained the way he always was. He'd never know what it was like to love. He'd be alone, like he always was, stuck in his castle as a monster.

He brought him back on the balcony and put more pressure on his throat.

"Understand this," he growled. "If it were not for the fact that _you_ were the cause of Blue and I meeting, I would have dropped you. Leave. If I find out you ever tried to hurt Blue or anyone she was close to ever again, _I will hunt you down."_

The man squeaked out a 'yes sir'. Green dropped him. What pathetic waste of space.

"Green!" he turned, and for the first time in a century, he smiled. He shoved Masque aside, and slowly began climbing back up to the top of the balcony from his room. Jiggly was floating faithfully beside Blue, smaller now, and Blue had her hand outstretched. Once he got close enough, he reached out his hand. Though it didn't really help much, Blue tried to pull him back up.

"Blue..." he shook his head. "Only a pesky woman like you would come chasing me down and pick a fight with a man with obvious intent to kill."

"Well, more like kidnapped." she laughed with a wink. "But details, right?"

"Pesky woman." he muttered, a small smile adorning his lips as his hand cupped her face. Her smile seemed to grow as she place a hand over his.

Suddenly, he felt a searing pain in his abdomen, much worse than from the wound in his wing. It felt as if literal fire was burning it's way into his bloodstream. He roared in agony, and hear Masque let out a laugh of victory. Green could feel himself falling back from the pain. He felt his arm hit something, and then a cry of confusion.

Then a cry of absolute fear as Masque fell to his death.

Blue had a death grip on his shirt, struggling to pull him back on the balcony.

"Blue!"

Suddenly, a second pair of hands was gripping his shirt. Jiggly was pushing the back of his head, and with the combined effort, they somehow managed to pull him onto the balcony.

He groaned in pain as Blue laid his head back. He saw a redhead sitting next to her. Both had matted, wet hair sticking to their faces. Judging solely from his hair, he assumed it was Silver, the brother she spoke so fondly of.

"M-Master Green...!" he heard Yellow whimper as she came into the rain to check on his wound. He let out a sharp roar as whatever stabbed him was yanked out by Yellow.

He continued panting in pain as Blue placed a hand against his face.

"Don't you dare die on me, Green." Blue said shakily. "I need a place to live, and so does Jade and Onyx and their family, as well as Soul and Silver. I need to figure out the combination to your vault and I..." she choked back a sob. "I need to figure out how to break the curse."

"Maybe... Maybe it's better this way." he muttered, thinking of his sister. She was dying... he was dying... maybe... they would both end up together?

"Don't talk like that. That's quitter's talk, and the Green I know's not a quitter." she said, forcing a smile on her face. "You... You'll be alright. R-Right Yellow?"

"P-Poison." Yellow murmured, sobs forming. "The dagger... it was dipped in poison." the thing clattered to the ground as Yellow stepped back. "I... I can't... my power... I already healed Silver... I'm... I'm s-s-s-sorry..."

He heard Blue and Silver inhale sharply. Green turned his head to the side, and saw the very dagger Blue had given him, dripping with blood and some purple substance.

That damn bastard.

"That's my... Oh, Arceus, this is all my fault...!"

"It's not." Green stated. "It's mine. I dropped it."

"Green..." Blue trailed off, practically sobbing.

"At least..." Green trailed off gripping her hand tightly. "I got to see you one last time."

"Green..." he could feel his life draining away. Everything felt heavier, even his eyelids. As the world went black, all he could hear was Blue sobbing his name.

o.0.o.0.o

"Green!" Blue cried out as his eyes lolled to the back of his head and his head hit the ground with a soft thud. "No." she stated firmly, though tears were mixing with the rain. "No. No, no, no."

"Blue..." she heard Silver say off to the side. "Blue, he's gone."

"He can't be gone!" Blue yelled at him. "He can't be gone because I... I never told him that I love him!" Silver flinched at the desperateness in her voice as she bowed down over him, resting her head on his chest as she sobbed. "I love you, Greeny. Stupid Greeny, I love you."

The servants all had their attention focused on Daisy, watching as the last petal fell, the magic around the flower snuffing out, leaving nothing but a wilted stem. Everyone, even Olive and Pine, fell silent, bowing their heads in mourning for the life lost.

" _Oh dear..."_ a voice suddenly rang out. The gijinka's ears all went rigid at the voice, blinking.

"Did anyone else hear that?" Opal asked. Everyone but Blue, as she was still sobbing, seemed to strain their ears.

" _Oh, my, my, my..."_

"It sounds like a girl." Soul murmured. The servants blinked as a stream of light fell from the sky, as if replacing the rain.

" _Fairies have a special spell you know."_

More light.

" _Rarely is it used, but I feel this is necessary."_

"That's..." Red trailed off, hardly believing it. Diamond seemed to grin.

"It's Platinum!"

" _One wing goes to the villagers, to make them forget that the monster ever existed. After all, there was nothing but abandoned property here until the heir came to claim it after his long, long journey._

 _"One wing goes to the servants. What will happen to the castle should there be no one to clean it or care for it? It shall fall into disrepair, no?_

 _"Fairies are immortal, you know. We can't make people immortal, but if we give up the immortality, we can restore life._

Now the light had completely overtaken the rain. Silver backed away from Green and Blue, gripping Soul's hand as Jade held her children tight and Onyx stood protectively in front of his family. Gijinka's, humans, and servants alike all hugged each other and watched in awe as Green began glowing in a golden color.

Blue had noticed by now, taking a hesitant step back as he glowed brighter and brighter, enveloped almost completely in light.

Suddenly, claws became fingernails and the wings, tail, and horns disappeared. He seemed to shrink down a bit from his overwhelming seven foot height to a more average height. Orange scales became human skin, and suddenly, Blue was standing over the body of a young man.

She nearly shrieked as he groaned, shifting slightly to stand up.

"Holy Ho-oh," she muttered as he turned around, shirt bunching around his form from the sudden change. This man was freaking _gorgeous!_

"Green...?" she asked tentatively, as if afraid he would up and bolt if she said something wrong. He stared at his hands a moment, as if not believing it, then looked up at her. Slowly, a smirk formed on his face.

"You wonderful, annoying, noisy, absolutely _pesky_ woman." he said, suddenly enveloping her in a hug. Blue laughed.

"Oh, it's you alright." she grinned. "No one else can call me a pesky woman and get away with it."

Slowly, they leaned in, and finally kissed.

"Silver, Arceus help me, if you break this up _I'll_ break up with _you_." Lyra threatened, happy tears dabbing her eyes as she stopped her overprotective boyfriend from going into protective brother mode.

As the sun began shining, the castle changed from dark and dreary to clean and golden, the creepiness factor almost completely gone. One by one, the servants began to regain their human forms- thankfully, Platinum provided them with clothes.

"Well, Green." Blue recognized Gold by his eyes as he slapped Green on the back. "I always knew you had it in you!"

"I thought you were dead!" Yellow cried, bawling her little amber eyes out. "Don't do that again! I thought you were dead!"

"Good job, Prince Green." Red said while consoling his fiancé.

"Green!" a woman with long, light brown hair suddenly tackled Green in a hug. Blue recognized the woman. She was the woman in the locket. Daisy. "Little brother! I have arms again! You have no idea what it's like, stuck floating for a hundred years! I can't even explain it, but I'm feeling really, really happy right now!"

Blue blinked.

"Little brother?" she mused aloud.

"And you!" Daisy smiled, grabbing her hands. "Thank you so much. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful we all are. I knew you were the girl to do it, I just knew it!"

"I don't get it!" Pearl suddenly exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "How are you still alive?! We watched the last petal fall!"

"It's because a fairy gave up her immortality to grant life."

Everyone turned and saw a young woman sitting on the edge of the balcony, barefoot, wearing a white sundress with long, raven-colored hair falling down her back. She cocked her head.

"Weren't you listening? A wing to make the villagers forget. A wing to bring back the servants. And immortality to restore life." she tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "And what is a fairy without her wings or immortality? Simply put," she stood up. "She's practically a normal girl."

Walking with the grace of a princess, she politely held out her hand to Green.

"My name is Platinum. Perhaps you remember me?"

o.0.o.0.o

"After the snow melted, Yellow and Red threw their wedding, an event they've waiting a century for." V said as she read the final bit of the chapter. "There was a huge party. Jade and her gijinka pack decided to stay and work in Green's castle, as well as Silver and Soul. Platinum decided to also stay, using her enormous knowledge to an advantage as Green's adviser. Together, with Blue, he regained control of the land he lost in his century absence, and they ruled the kingdom kindly, living happily ever after."

She shut the book with a small smile.

"The end."

She heard a sniffle, and saw Aini seemingly forcing herself not to cry.

"Aini?" she asked, cocking her head. Iri and Celina had the attention focused solely on their sister.

"I'm not crying because Prince Green almost died!" she hissed out.

"I never said you were crying to begin with." V smirked, setting the book aside.

"I'm not crying, period!" she said, vigorously wiping her eyes. "That's stupid!"

"Whatever you say, sweetie." she said, gently kissing her forehead. "So did mama do a good job, telling the story 'different'?"

"Mama did great! Tell 'nother one like that!" Iri exclaimed happily.

"Alright. We'll tell them different from now on then, okay?"

Three smiles greeted her, all excited for the prospect of a new story.

"Okay!"

o.0.o.0.o

 **So did I do a good job or did I do a good job? I'm pretty proud of this, though I think Green acted out of character a bit. I also wanted to say that Masque's main motive for all of this is _control._ He kind of went mad when he thought he lost control of Blue, so he decided to eliminate anything he saw as 'uncontrollable'(Gijinka's, because they were different, Soul because she offered freedom to Silver, and Silver because he left his control as well).**

 **Anyways, up next is Specialshipping, everyone!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	5. Cinder-Yellow Part 1

Aini and Iri sat pouting on the bed as V sat in the middle, Celina happily cuddled into her side and flipping through the pages of the storybook, trying to pick a story.

"I told you not to gang up on your older sister." V shrugged.

"But did you have to punish us by having Celina pick the story?!" Aini cried in outrage. "She's gonna pick some romantic story!"

"Pirates and ninja's!" Iri yelled out in agreement.

"Would you rather I took the TV away?"

Both fell silent at that.

"You guys shouldn't be so upset." V continued with a shrug. "The last story was romantic, and you said I did a good job of telling it."

Aini murmured something under her breath, still pouting, while Iri seemed to take a curious interest in the next story.

"This one." Celina said happily, holding the open book to V. V glanced at the title, then smiled.

"Should I tell this one different as well?"

Celina nodded her head vigorously while Iri shouted his agreement. Aini was still pouting.

"Alright then."

o.0.o.0.o

 _Cinder-Yellow, Part One_

 _Once upon a Pokéball,_ there was a short man named Wilton. He was not a duke or a king, not a prince or a noble, or a merchant from far away. He was none of those romantic things at all. No, he... was a fisherman.

He was not terribly rich, but he was not terribly poor either. He had entered a perfectly happy medium where he could live comfortably and happily and not be disturbed.

One day, however, he got hit with some wonderful but equally terrible news.

There was a knock at the door, and he was greeted by a tall man.

"Mr. Wilton Anbā?" he asked, reading off a small piece of parchment. Wilton blinked.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry to inform you, sir, but your sister, Amber, and her husband, Samson, were killed in a horrible carriage accident."

Wilton almost collapsed then and there. He was very close to his younger sister. Unlike him, his brother-in-law was a very successful merchant. He made a ton of money every year, and could always afford to splurge on the two loves of his life, his wife and his little daughter, who was only four at the time.

"Their girl..." he muttered. "What happened to their little girl?!"

"The girl is safe." the man stated, stepping aside and showing a little girl with, no older than four, with her head bowed as a small suitcase sat next to her, a beautiful doll in her arms. "With no other living family members, we need a caregiver for her. If not, she will go to the orphanage in town."

"I accept." Wilton stated immediately.

Wilton hardly knew what he accepted at the time.

Everything that Amber and Samson owned, including their daughter, suddenly belonged to Wilton. Upon accepting to raise the girl, he also accepted to care for their chateau, and to manage the large fortune left to her until she came of age to rightfully inherit it. Wilton was very careful not to spend to much of the fortune, as he didn't want to squander it all on the daughter so she had none, and the girl seemed happy with the simplistic life as a fisherman's niece.

Wilton didn't care much for money, but he happily took to raising the girl. He, after all, never married or had a child of his own, and fatherhood seemed to come naturally to him. Her name was Amarillo del Bosque Verde, but the fisherman took to calling her Yellow. The nickname stuck.

Yellow was a kind, caring, and gentle girl. She wouldn't hurt a bug-type pokémon, even if someone asked her too.

When Yellow was around six years old, her Uncle Wilton suddenly announced that he was getting married. Initially, she was surprised. For as long as she had known her uncle, he never showed an interest in marriage, nor had anyone ever shown interest in him. But regardless, she was very happy and supportive, even more so when he said that the woman he was going to marry had two daughters a little older than her, one being nine and the other seven.

A little before the marriage, Wilton invited this mysterious woman and her daughters over so they could get better acquainted. Yellow was very excited to meet her new family. She cleaned up their perfectly quaint little three-bedroom cabin, helped her Uncle Wilton make a grand dinner, and made sure that her most favorite pet pokémon, Chuchu the pikachu, was groomed, her best flower tucked behind her ear. Yellow, in turn, put on the dress her uncle liked most, a simple pale green garment with a white bow, and wove flowers into her hair, and waited for her new family.

When she heard a knock at the door, the little girl was so excited she hardly waited for her uncle to finish what he was doing. She jumped up from her perch on her chair and eagerly opened the door. What was on the other side was not something she was expecting.

She saw a short woman with blond hair graying and two young ladies, the older with red hair and the younger with silvery-blue hair. The girls were donned in dresses that was a montage of lace, bows, and ruffles, the woman wearing expensive looking jewelry. The two girls were already passing their mother in height.

They looked at her.

She looked at them.

Yellow then remembered her manners and stepped back, curtsying politely.

"M-My name is A-Amarillo del B-Bosque Verde." she swallowed the stutter that she acquired growing up and stood. "B-But you may call me Yellow."

A moment of silence.

Then...

"Look at this thing, dressed like she's a bloody princess." the silver-haired girl said with a scoff. Yellow blinked in surprise at her demeaning tone. "What are you, a glorified servant?"

"N-No, I'm-"

"Yellow? What're you doing, sprout?" her Uncle asked as he came down the stairs. She smiled brightly at him. He glanced up, and beamed at the trio. "Ah, Agatha! I see you've met Yellow!"

"Yellow? You never mentioned a daughter." Agatha stated, raising an eyebrow.

"Daughter? Oh, no, this is my _niece._ I told you about what happened to Amber, right? Well, this little girl is the only direct family member left. She's set to inherit a _huge_ fortune."

"If she's so rich, why does she have weeds in her hair?" the redhead asked, cocking her head as she stared down at Yellow through her glasses.

"They aren't weeds!" Yellow meekly defended, gently touching the flower headband-like crown behind her bands and placed here and there throughout her hair. "They... They're flowers from our garden!"

"Yellow's always taken a liking to simple things." Wilton shrugged, smiling fondly at his niece. "Regardless, come sit! Yellow's been so excited to meet you!" he turned to the other two girls, smiling brightly. "You must be Lorelie and Karen! My, you're just as your mother described!"

The two girls smiled, as if already knowing all the wonderful things their mother had said.

They quickly sat down for dinner, and Yellow wanted to impress her new, soon-to-be family. They obviously weren't happy with her appearance, so she decided she would impress them with her work ethic.

So she served the dinner splendidly and was the first to jump if any of them needed anything.

Eventually, Yellow realized she was running back and forth so much to the kitchen, that her Uncle Wilton, Agatha, and her daughters had already finished their meals.

"You're not hungry, Yellow?" Wilton asked, noticing her untouched plate of food. Yellow shook her head with a bright smile.

"I want to see the gardens." Karen suddenly announced.

"I would as well." Agatha said. "Wilton?"

"But Yellow is still eating." he stated, glancing between his fiancé and his niece. Yellow waved her hands in front of her face.

"It's okay, Uncle! I'm fine on my own."

Wilton looked skeptical.

"You sure, sprout?"

"Absolutely!" Yellow nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright, then..." Wilton said, although hesitantly. Yellow flashed an encouraging smile, and Wilton finally gave in, taking, Agatha, Lorelie, and Karen out to the gardens. Yellow looked down at her meal, a few bites taken from between the times she had gotten up to fetch whatever the trio had needed.

Happily, she took a bite of her food, but grimaced slightly.

It was cold...

o.0.o.0.o

Yellow's Uncle Wilton married Agatha later on in the spring, after her seventh birthday. She tried very hard to keep a optimistic outlook on her new life with her new family, but no matter what she did, her new aunt and cousins just did not seem to like her.

Though never in front of her uncle, they enjoyed ordering her about, to make the beds, to do the laundry, and so on. Eager to make them happy, she hardly recognized she was being taken advantage of. Rather, she puttered along, happily obliging to any request from her new family, enjoying life with her uncle, and living peacefully.

By the time she was twelve, Yellow had grown into a pretty young woman. She had golden blond hair always tied in a signature ponytail and eyes that sparkled like drops of amber. Though petite in size, she made up for it with her overwhelmingly huge heart.

One day, while Agatha and her daughters had gone to visit relatives, Yellow was in town, running a small errand to the toymakers shop.

"Hey Yellow!" the nine-year-old apprentice of the toymaker, also known as the Trick Master, waved. In all due honesty, Emerald seemed to be more about fixing the toys while his boss went about inventing them. Though his more farfetched ideas mostly failed, he was still an expert at fixing older toys while Emerald seemed to specialize in fixing up newer ones. "Here to pick up Amber again?"

"Yes." she smiled. Emerald grinned.

"Trick! Yellow's here!"

The Trick Master, almost as short as Emerald, came into the room, grinning.

"Yellow! We've repaired Amber again. Now, if I paid you..."

"No." Yellow said immediately with a laugh, taking the doll she had named lovingly after her mother and gently placing her into her empty basket. "Amber is mine and always will be."

"Do you blame a collector for trying?" he asked, shrugging.

"I can't believe you care so much for that thing." Emerald said offhandedly "The paint only chipped a little."

"A little leads to a lot, thus costing a higher bill." Yellow stated with a smile, dropping some coins onto the counter. "Thanks again!"

"I'll get that doll one day!" the Trick Master exclaimed. Yellow simply laughed as she walked out the door and back onto the the path to home.

What she saw when she reached the house horrified her.

The quaint little home that she had shared with her Uncle for nearly a decade was in flames. The entire house was engulfed in smoke, fiery red flames licking the wooden walls.

Despite the fact that many townspeople had water types blasting the fire, it wouldn't go out. Eventually, the house smoldered away to nothing but ashes and a frame of what was once a loving home.

Yellow knew her uncle was dead. It was a feeling she knew all to well. A feeling that no one should have to feel, but she has felt three times.

Her dear Uncle Wilton was dead.

o.0.o.0.o

When Agatha returned home with her two daughters, all their belongings in tow, she was not much of a comfort. In fact, she seemed to set out to make Yellow's life worse. It was only _after_ the good fisherman's untimely death did she show her true colors. Cold, cruel, and bitterly jealous of young Yellow's beauty, inside and out. Her kindness made her sick, and she wanted to see her cry.

So when she and her obviously wonderful daughters reached the chateau and stepped inside, she heard Yellow crying from somewhere in the house. Leaving their luggage in the foyer, she allowed her girls to run rampant in search of their new rooms while she searched for Yellow.

She came upon the girl in an overly cheerful room with a mural of flowers on the wall, bright yellow bedspreads and tools for artists on a small desk in the corner. She was sitting on a chair, curled up and obviously distressed.

"Amarillo." she stated. The girl stood, slowly and shakily, looking over at them tearfully.

"Arceus, this is tacky." Karen immediately spat. "Who designed this?"

"M-M-M-My m-m-mom." Yellow stuttered.

"Overly bright and cheerful," Lorelie mused, looking around. "But the size will do for my room. It's the biggest room in the house, after all."

"W-W-What?" Yellow asked, looking horrified.

"You won't mind right, Yellow?"

"N-No! This is my room!"

Her cries went unheard as the now fifteen year old girl began to take stuffed animals, now long forgotten, off the shelves and dumping them into a box.

"S-Stop!" Yellow cried out, grabbing at her arm as she reached for a particularly important stuffed animal. Lorelie looked at her like she was the most disgusting thing on earth, then smacked her across the face. Yellow stumbled back in shock, staring up at the woman, flabbergasted.

"Don't touch me." she hissed, then resumed her task. Still holding her precious doll, Yellow stumbled into the next room, only for the now thirteen-year-old Karen to dart around her.

"Sorry, this is _my_ room, Blondie."

Tearfully, Yellow darted to the next room. Lorelie bolted ahead of her.

"My study." Lorelie stated, studying her nails. Yellow opened her mouth, tears still budding. Lorelie stared coldly back at her. She looked over her shoulder at Karen, and she suddenly had an inkling of what they were going to do.

She bolted down the hall as Lorelie and Karen pounded after her. Yellow was never much of a runner to begin with, but with the two slamming her into walls and tripping her every chance they got, she hardly stood a chance. They claimed each room as their 'storage room' or their 'music room' or their 'dance room' or their 'art room'. The list went on, and suddenly, Yellow found herself in the foyer, alone.

"A-Aunt Agatha!" Yellow cried out as the woman approached her. "Th-They've taken all the rooms! There's nowhere for me to go!"

She scoffed.

"That's Lady Agatha to you, servant. The attic is free." she stated coldly. Her eyes shot to the doll in her arms. "Why do you still have that thing, Amarillo?" she demanded, reaching up and planning to snatch it out of her arms. "You won't have time for _playing."_

Yellow suddenly snatched the doll back, cradling it against her as she shook her head.

"You won't take Amber." she stated.

"You dare to take that tone with the woman willing to give you a home?!" Agatha shrieked shrilly. "How dare you, Amarillo! You will not get dinner tonight!"

"My name is Yellow," she said, going towards the staircase and ignoring the punishment she was given. "And this is not a home."

Somehow, she managed to quell her tears until the got upstairs, where the only things in the room was a mattress in which the hinges creaked every time she moved and an old dresser and closet. She sat on the creaky, uncomfortable bed, clutching Amber close to her chest.

" _My uncle is dead."_ she thought as she laid down, tears overtaking her again. " _My uncle is dead."_

The thought echoed over and over again, each time bringing a new wave of body-wracking sobs over her small body.

Yellow, since the death of her parents, have never felt so alone.

o.0.o.0.o

And thus as time went by, the chateau fell into disrepair, all the family fortunes spent on the vain and selfish cousins. Yellow was humiliated and beaten day in and day out, finally falling so far from grace, as her aunt liked to call it, she was forced to become a servant in her own home.

And yet, she continued to correct Agatha, Lorelie, and Karen anytime they chose to call her anything but Yellow, no matter the abuse, no matter the punishment, no matter the pain. She wanted, at least, to hold onto the one thing her uncle left to her. Her beloved nickname.

After one particular day, when Yellow approached them covered in cinders, the girl had adopted a new nickname, courtesy of her cousins.

Cinder-Yellow.

o.0.o.0.o

"I still don't like it." Aini pouted. Iri shrugged indifferently, though V could tell that he seemed to have taken an interest.

"It's going to be beautiful." Celina sighed dreamily. Aini looked disgusted and Iri looked weirded out.

"She's going into one of her weird modes again." Aini sighed.

"Well, it's kind of your fault you have to hear the tale of Cinder-Yellow." Vale stated with a shrug standing up.

"Mom," Aini sighed, shaking her head. "That name sucks."

o.0.o.0.o

 **And the point that I agree with Aini. XD**

 **So yeah, introducing a revamped version of Cinderella, this time centering Yellow and Red! I was thinking of doing Thumbalina, but when I tried to write it, I couldn't get into it. And besides, I thought Cinderella is a much better story for this couple.**

 **I chose Agatha and Lorelie because they were pretty big villains in the Yellow Arc of the manga. Karen... just kind of got mushed in there.**

 **XD**

 **So everyone seemed to like _The Monster and the Thief._ Will you like _Cinder-Yellow_ just as much?**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	6. Cinder-Yellow Part 2

"You won't even smile?"

"No."

"Not even a little?"

"No."

"Not even for your Mama?"

"No." Aini crossed her arms. "I'm not gonna like it."

"Yes you will."

"No I won't."

Celina sighed.

"Just start the next part of the story, Mama."

V shook her head and smiled, opening the storybook and flipping to the page she desired.

"Two years after her Uncle Wilton's death, Yellow still put up with her evil aunt. Even though Yellow lived with an abusive family, she still had friends. Not normal friends, mind you, but fairy frie-"

"Mom," Aini said sourly. "Aren't they supposed to be rattata?"

"In this story they're fairies." she paused. "But not like Platinum in _The Monster and the Thief._ These fairies are small and can perform small magic, not curses."

"Why?"

"Because I said so." V said with a nod.

"That's stupid." Aini pouted.

"I think it's great!" Celina exclaimed. "I love fairies!"

"But why?" Ainie stressed.

"You'll see why in as I continue the story." V blinked, looking over the page again. "Now where was I...?"

o.0.o.0.o

 _Cinder-Yellow, Part Two_

"She was a nice girl!" Soul exclaimed, pale pink wings fluttering as she did a backflip. Silver crossed his arms, his own charcoal gray wings glimmering as he followed his fellow fairy throughout the house. "I liked her!"

"Yes, she was nice." Silver sighed. "We need to go back to the grove before someone sees us."

"No one's going to notice!" Soul insisted with a grin. "Let's keep looking! I've never had an up close look at humans before!"

Silver hadn't either, and he didn't want to have an up close look. He was never one to play it safe, but he was also knew that he shouldn't run headstrong into danger like a moron. Unfortunately, Soul was either a thrill-seeker or a complete idiot, as she just flew into random situations with no thought of the future.

Perhaps she was to curious for her own good.

"Soul, seriously." he said, voice much firmer as he reached out and gripped her arm. "We need to go."

"Oh, Silver, we'll be fine."

Silver opened his mouth to retort, only to suddenly be flying through the air, not out of his own vocation. He slammed into the wall as he heard Soul's startled cry. She darted to get to him, only for him to open his eyes and see some silver-haired girl around fifteen slam a rolled up newspaper onto Soul. He widened his eyes in horror as the girl smirked.

"Annoying flabébé, always sneaking in from the gardens." she muttered, lifting the paper to look at her prey. Silver let out a sigh of relief as he saw Souls still glowing wings, meaning she was still alive. The girl widened her eyes as she bent over to get a closer look at what, exactly, she managed to get. "Oh my gosh..." she murmured, suddenly snatching an unconscious Soul into her hand. Silver nearly had a heart attack at her grip. Please don't let Soul be crushed...!

He flitted after her, ignoring the pain in his arm and back as he tried to follow her. No doubt that impact broke something, but he was thankful that his wings were intact.

He watched as the girl dumped Soul into a glass jar, securing some cloth over it with a piece of twine, then stabbing holes in it with a fork.

"Wait till I show Mother!" the silver-haired girl exclaimed, clapping her hands as she ran out of the room. Silver watched as she left, then quickly went to the top of the jar, trying to get the twine off, though was quickly halted as a searing pain went up his arm. Yeah, that was broken.

"Soul!" he exclaimed, pounding on the jar with his good fist, trying to wake her up. "Soul!"

No response. She must be out cold.

"What is so _drastic,_ Karen, that you found it necessary to interrupt my music lesson?" she heard another young voice say. This was followed by the irritated huff of an older woman.

"A way to become famous, that's how!" Karen exclaimed. Silver whipped back to Soul.

"I'll be back." he promised, flying out a cracked window as Lorelie and Agatha came into the room.

o.0.o.0.o

"Are you sure this is the smartest thing to do?" Crystal asked, skeptically glancing at Gold as his amber-colored wings glowed furiously with his rage. "I mean, as the eldest fairies of the grove, don't you think we could come up with an better plan?"

"It's a fine plan!" Gold insisted, watching carefully as Agatha took Soul into her into her room, Silver, despite his injuries, sneaking in to keep watch over her. "We'll get that girl to pay up the debt she owe's us, then we'll get Soul and Silver healed up and go back to the grove!"

"I don't know if we should drag humans into this..." Crystal murmured.

"Doesn't matter." Gold shook his head. "If we get to be known throughout the town, we'll need to move the grove again. I like where we are now."

"You're just to lazy to move." Crystal sighed.

"There she is!" Gold suddenly exclaimed, his blond target acquired, carrying a bucket filled with dirty water. "Let's go!" he suddenly divebombed, much to Crystal's horror.

"Gold!" she exclaimed before folding her own wings back in a divebomb. She watched in amusement as Gold tugged at her hair, though she seemed to hardly feel it. She simply swatted him away like he was a bug-type or something. She crossed her arms as Gold popped up in her face. There was a moment of silence as the fourteen-year-old stared at him. He stared back.

"O-Oh my A-A-Arceus!" she exclaimed, scrambling back as she pointed at him, dropping the pail of water, causing to clatter around her feet, soaking her worn shoes. "Y-Y-You! From two years ago! Chuchu told me...!"

"Shh!" Crystal exclaimed, pressing her smaller hands against her lips. "You need to be quiet!"

"It's time for you to pay up." Gold stated with a grin. Yellow lowered her voice.

"P-Pay up?" she asked.

"We just need a favor." Crystal said in a gentler tone. "We need you to help rescue our friend."

"What happened?"

"One of your cousins managed to capture one of our friends. Your aunt took her into her room and we need you to get her back." Gold stated quickly. Yellow gasped.

"Y-Y-You want me... to sneak into...?!"

"Please." Crystal begged. "Our whole grove will be extremely thankful. Please help us."

Yellow seemed thoughtful for a moment.

"Wait in my room, please. I'll bring her back."

o.0.o.0.o

Gold and Crystal patiently waited for Yellow to come back. Well, Crystal did. Gold was nervously flitting to and from the room, a nervous wreck for the childhood friend he grew up knowing as a sister.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and they saw a faint silver glow flit in.

"Silver!" Crystal sighed in relief. Slowly, Yellow tip-toed in, wearing her nightgown and her socks, nervously gripping the jar with Soul in it, a bright pink glow coming from her wings as she flitted around excitedly. "Oh, Soul, this is what your reckless curiosity gets you! Thank your lucky stars that Yellow was here!"

"Is there something wrong with you?" Yellow suddenly asked, turning her attention to Silver. His arm was in a sling now, not completely healed.

"Karen whacked him good!" Soul exclaimed, pressing her hands against the glass. "He broke his arm!"

"I see..." Yellow mused. She held out her hand."Come here." Silver glanced at her skeptically, but landed on her outstretched hand. The three remaining fairies watched in awe as her hand glowed an amber yellow, engulfing Silver. As soon as it faded, Silver flew away from her as fast as he could, startled by the unknown magic. "You should feel a little bit better now."

Silver blinked, shifting his arm in his sling, then pulling it out, moving the limb in surprise. It was healed!

"How'd you do that?!" exclaimed Soul.

"It's just some silly spells my Mama taught me before she passed." Yellow said. "I still try to practice when I can."

"So you're a sage?" Gold asked.

"In training, but yeah." Yellow smiled.

"Are you going to let Soul out?" Silver asked, taking the sling from around his neck and throwing it aside. Yellow blinked.

"I'm sorry!" she suddenly exclaimed, bringing up the jar to look at Soul. "I almost forgot! Now let's see..." Her hand went to the twine, when the door suddenly slammed open, revealing Agatha, Lorelie, and Karen on the other side.

"Amarillo, you drop that jar this instant!" Agatha shrieked shrilly. Surprised by their sudden entrance, the jar slipped from Yellow's fingers, shattering as soon as it came into contact with the ground.

The four humans fell silent as Soul flitted out and around the shards of glass.

"I-I-I-I-" Yellow stuttered, unsure if she should apologize or not. She glanced up and already saw the four fairies flying out the window. Slowly, Agatha turned back to Yellow, the anger clearly visible on her face.

"My fame!" wailed Karen.

"The fortune!" Lorelie exclaimed, looking horrified. "We could have made millions off that and she ruined it!"

"You little thief!" Karen suddenly shrieked, striking her.

As the two girl began hitting Yellow, Agatha stood by the doorway and watched.

o.0.o.0.o

"Oh..." Soul quietly gasped as she stared in through the window.

"Those *bleep*ed *bleep*." Topaz, another fairy glowing a bright orange as she stared through the window, enraged. Today, Crystal and Gold, the leaders of their grove, told them they would be moving in with the servant girl to keep watch over her, and as they all fluttered outside the window, they knew they made the right choice.

Yellow was laying motionless on the floor, eyes closed and cuts on her face and hands, most likely from the glass from the jar laying around her.

"What did they _do_?" Onyx exclaimed, horrified.

"It almost looks like they pressed her face into the glass..." Onyx muttered.

"It doesn't matter." Crystal said, now determined to help the girl. "Pearl and Sapphire, fetch some water. Jade, Platinum, and I will pull any glass out of the cuts. Gold and Silver, go stand guard. Topaz, Opal, Onyx, and Carnelian, get rid of the glass."

"What can I do?" Soul asked.

"Help me fix this rag up." Ruby said distastefully, staring at her work dress, hanging neatly on the hanger. "Look at it! It's riddled with holes, it's about to fall apart at the seams!"

"R-Right!" Soul nodded. The group of fairies flew around, performing their assigned tasks. As the glass was cleared away, Crystal, Platinum, and Jade got to work at clearing the cuts of any small shards. Pearl and Sapphire came in carrying a huge leaf filled with water, setting it aside The clock from the town chimed loudly, indicating the early hour.

Yellow stirred, groaning slightly as her fingers twitched.

"She's waking up!" Soul exclaimed excitedly. Everyone paused for a moment as Yellow's eyes twitched, then slowly opened, blinking away her tiredness.

"Yellow?" Crystal asked gently, her motherly instincts coming out. Yellow blinked, then let out a startled gasp.

"Y-You!" she exclaimed, pointing at her. "Why are you here? You might get caught!"

"We're moving in to help you out!" Sapphire stated, grinning.

"Are you crazy?" Yellow exclaimed. "If they find you, they might...!"

"Pfft, those *bleep*ing *bleeps*?" Topaz rolled her eyes. "Fairies are experts at hiding. Don't get all freaked out over nothing."

"I... I dunno..."

"We'll be fine." Crystal reassured.

Yellow sniffled as happy tears threatened to spill over. Finally she put on a bright grin.

"Thank you. All of you," she wiped her nose with her hand. "Thank you."

o.0.o.0.o

 _Four years later..._

"Another day, another dollar!" Onyx exclaimed as he stretched his arms above his head. Jade grunted something, rubbing her eyes. She stood, stretching her wings out. "Opal!" Onyx grinned, shaking his sister awake. "C'mon! It's morning!" he glanced around. "Where's that useless Carnelian?"

"Right here." the white-haired fairy was leaning against the opening in the wall where the four had chose as there space.

"You're up early." Opal yawned, stretching.

"Of course I am." Carnelian said arrogantly, draping his arms around his sleepy girlfriend and resting his chin on her head. " _Someone_ has to do morning call."

Onyx forced out a chuckle.

"You keep touching my little sister, you won't wake up at all." Onyx forced out with a grin.

"You know you can't keep up that threat." Carnelian grinned. "'Thou shall not kill another in thine grove' is almost as important a rule as 'Thou shall not have cake on Mondays'!"

One could practically see the electricity crackling between them.

"Stop arguing." Jade sighed. "We need to get the others up."

Onyx glared at Carnelian and Carnelian grinned back at him, purposefully keeping his arm around Opal just to make him mad.

Flying over to the window, Onyx and Jade got to pulling the tattered curtains back, hooking them on some nails, allowing the sunlight to come shining through the window. Ruby was already working on fixing another tear in Yellow's dress, the cheapest thing that Agatha could find in the store, only buying one when the former got much to small for Yellow. Chuchu the pikachu was licking her face while Gold was tugging on a strand of Yellow's hair, trying to wake her up as Crystal gently poked her face. Yellow simply rolled over, bringing her pillow over her face.

"She's not waking up." Crystal sighed, crawling under a gap her hand and the pillow. Chuchu shrugged her shoulders, poking at the pillow. "Come on, Yellow! Wake up!"

A soft laugh like the sound of bells rang out, muffled from the pillow as she pulled it tighter, forcing Crystal to flee for fear of being squished by the pillow.

"HEY YELLOW!" Gold hollered, leaning over the pillow. "WAKEY, WAKEY!"

The other fairies watched humorously as Yellows fingers moved across the pillow, then gently flicked Gold in the back, startling him. He yelped in surprise, flying away and hiding behind Crystal. Slowly, his startled expression turned into a glare as he looked at Crystal.

"Why didn't you warn me?" he asked. Crystal shrugged.

"I thought it would be funny."

"And it was!" Soul exclaimed. The eighteen year old laughed again, sitting up in bed.

"Serves you right, Gold, for ruining peoples dreams."

"It's a lovely morning, Yellow." Crystal stated, fluttering in front of her face.

"I know that." Yellow responded, glancing out the window, before settling back into her pillow. "But it was a lovely dream, too."

"No use cryin' over spilled milk." Sapphire stated gruffly.

"What'd you dream about?" Opal asked, cocking her head as he settled on her knee.

"Can't tell you." Yellow said, shaking her head. "Dreams are like wishes. If you tell them, they never come true."

"Heh, that makes sense." Carnelian said. "I, one particular night, had a dream that Opal and I-"

"One more word and I tear your wings off." Onyx growled. Carnelian cast a long glance and smirk to Onyx.

"It hasn't come true yet."

"And I'll make sure it doesn't." Onyx growled out, wings glowing as his rage increased.

"Shall we reenact it?" Carnelian taunted, darting towards Opal.

"Like _*bleep*!"_ Onyx practically roared, flying after him. "There may be rules against killing you, but mauling is perfectly applicable!"

"Oh, don't start fighting!" Yellow exclaimed, kicking the covers off as she got up to separate the two. Quickly, but gently, she gripped Onyx by his wings. "Honestly. One of these days, you truly will kill each other..."

"Not on my watch." Jade stated, crossing her legs and arms mid air. "Honestly, Onyx. He does it to get a rise out of you and you fall for it every time."

"He's talking about my little sister like that!" Onyx justified, stretching his wings as Yellow dropped him onto her outstretched hand. The clock suddenly rang out from the town, as it did every morning. Yellow sighed, watching as Onyx flew back into the air.

"Time to get going." she murmured, taking the dress from the hanger and admiring Ruby's handiwork. "Thank you, Ruby."

"All right, all of you, get out!" Jade ordered, pointing towards the window. No one said a word in protest, after all, no one _dared_ to cross Jade. Yellow smiled appreciatively towards her, and quickly ducked behind a curtain to change from her nightgown to her dress. She changed quickly, stepping from behind the curtain tying a white apron around her waist. She smiled again as White and Opal held out her ribbon, tying her hair into her signature ponytail.

"Yellow!" she blinked as Pearl suddenly flew through a hole in the ground, Topaz zooming behind him. "Yellow!"

"What is it?" she asked, cocking her head.

"There's a fairy in the house!" Pearl exclaimed.

"Someone new. Either a visitor, a new recruit, or a *bleep*ing freeloader." Topaz stated. "Platinum's down there, sweet talking 'em."

"We were supposed to be greeting someone new to the grove." Crystal said, staring out the window in confusion with a hand over her mouth. "But they were due to arrive almost three days ago!"

"We assumed that he or she couldn't make it through the town." Soul said, smiling. "But I suppose they're alright!"

"Well, that's great!" Yellow beamed, pulling open the drawer on her vanity and opening a small lid, plucking out a dress she had Ruby make beforehand. "She'll need a dress and some shoes..." she trailed off as Pearl and Topaz burst out laughing, both hunched over from the pain in their sides. "What is it?"

"He's got a *bleep*." Topaz stated simply through snickers. Yellow opened her mouth at her brass language, then placed the dress back and pulled out a shirt and some pants without saying a word.

"So where is he?" she asked quietly. Both blinked.

"Well, *bleep*." Topaz stated, glancing at Pearl. "We probably should have mentioned that first."

"Mentioned what?" Yellow questioned.

"He got caught in a mouse trap." Pearl stated.

"A-A trap?!" exclaimed Yellow as she shoved her stool back and hurrying towards the door. "Why didn't you say so?!"

She quickly opened the door to her attic room, running down a few flights of stairs until she saw the faint lavender glow of Platinum's wings. She was calmly kneeling beside a rat trap, talking to a male fairy with dark, short hair and glowing, light blue wings.

"He's terrified." Platinum stated as Yellow gently picked up the trap and opened the door.

"Pearl." she waved over to him. "Maybe you could explain things to him."

"Got it, Yellow." Pearl nodded, walking into the trap. The fairy glanced at him hesitantly. "Heya. So I'm Pearl. That one above me with the yellow wings is Topaz, and you've already met Platinum. That girl is Yellow."

"She's a human." he murmured, glancing warily at her.

"She's nice." Pearl said. "Not like other humans. Really, really kind. Know's about our whole grove, in fact! You're the new recruit, right?"

He nodded.

"My old grove up and moved. They forgot about me." he looked down dejectedly. "So they told me the closest grove was here..."

"Did you live far away? Is that why it took you so long to get here?" Platinum asked curiously. He shook his head.

"I'm just slow." he laughed. They all sweatdropped.

"You can trust us. Yellow here's take care of ya." Topaz reassured. Slowly, he nodded, cautiously following Pearl out of the cage. Yellow smiled, passing the extra clothes she had grabbed.

"Here's some extra clothes, little guy." she smiled. "Do you have a name?"

"Diamond." he responded. "But it's just Dia for short."

"That's a wonderful name." Yellow complimented as she stood up. "Platinum, Pearl, and Topaz, show him around and introduce him to the others. I have to get going, okay?" she paused after a few steps. "And don't forget to warn him about the purugly."

"Okay, Yellow!" Pearl said, watching as she hurried down the stairs. The blond turned back to the new recruit, who stood, thoughtfully looking at the new clothes Yellow gave him.

"So Diamond," Topaz grinned. "Have you ever seen a creature that does nothing but stalk you with hopes of you becoming it's next meal?"

"Topaz, don't scare him!" Platinum chastised.

"Well, it's true." Pearl said. "There are essentially five pokémon who live in the house. Two of them are good. Chuchu the pikachu is Yellow's closest pokémon and Dody, Yellow's Doduo. They're good pokémon, like Yellow. But then there's three pokémon that aren't so nice. Karen's Umbreon, Eon. She's fast, but she's usually always with Karen. Lorelie's Dewgong, Dewy. He's super slow, but his moves pack a punch. And finally, Lucifer, Agatha's purugly. He's not fast or anything, and he's easy to trick-"

"But *bleep*, he's persistent." Topaz rolled her eyes. Platinum's eyes flashed.

"Topaz, language." she chastised. Topaz narrowed her eyes.

"*Bleep* you."

"Anyways," Pearl said, quickly interrupting the brewing fight. "Got it, Dia?"

"Dodo and Chuchu are good, Eon and Dewy are ignorant, and Lucifer is super persistent so it's best to not get in his line of sight." Dia said, randomly munching on some candy that none of the three could figure out where he had it hidden. "Right?"

"Right!" Pearl grinned, slapping him on the back. "Now let's introduce ya to the rest of the grove!"

o.0.o.0.o

Yellow gently walked by her cousins room and towards Agatha's room, careful to not wake them up. She opened the curtains as she walked by them, letting the sunlight filter through the dirty glass. She sighed. She'd have to clean these, no doubt.

Upon getting to Agatha's room, she reached towards the door, and slowly turned the knob, allowing the light to shine on Lucifers face. He blinked, meowing slightly in irritation.

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty." she whispered quietly. Lucifer yawned. "Come here kitty. Come on." Lucifer shot her a pointed glance, then turned his back to her, preparing to sleep again. Yellow sighed. "Lucifer!" she whispered harshly. "Come here!" He suddenly jolted awake, glaring at her, then got down off his bed and walked across the room, slowly and defined like some sort of royalty.

Once he got to the doorway, he yawned, scratching against the floor as he stretched. Yellow waited patiently, allowing him to stretch. When he was finished, he glared at her. Yellow simply smiled.

"I'm sorry if you oppose to an early breakfast." Yellow said, shutting the door and walking towards the stairs. "It's certainly not my decision." she turned to make sure he was following. "It's orders. Come on now."

"So ya see that fat *bleep*?" Topaz smirked to Diamond, now wearing the clothes that Yellow provided, with a cheshire grin, all three of them with satchels over their shoulder. "That's Lucifer."

"Topaz, language." Platinum chastised.

"*Bleep* you." Topaz responded as if routine.

"Anyways," Pearl stated in irritation. "It's our turn to gather food for the grove. We always go four at a time." Diamond nodded in understanding, suddenly grinning for his love of food.

"Lets go!" he exclaimed excitedly.

o.0.o.0.o

Yellow walked into the kitchen, only to hear the wining chirps of her doduo, Dody. She smiled as his legs moved back and forth, as if chasing something. Lucifer hissed at him, not liking the obviously taller and quicker bird that seemed to take great joy in chasing him around.

"Dody." she said as his chirps seemed to increase. "Dody!" she drew out his name as he suddenly snapped awake, raising his heads as he glanced around. He seemed to smile as he turned to Yellow, folding his legs under him. "Dreaming again." she chuckled, petting his heads. "Chasing Lucifer?"

Dody grinned proudly, nodding his heads.

"Catch him this time?"

Again, Dody nodded.

"That's bad!" Yellow scolded, standing up. Dody looked shocked, then snapped his heads to Lucifer, who snickered at him. "Suppose they heard you upstairs." she said, turning to the fireplace and placing wood in it. She began working at lighting the flame. "You know the orders." she said as the flame burst to life, eagerly eating up the wood. She moved across the room and began preparing their morning tea. "So unless you wanna loose a meal and a nice, warm bed, you better get rid of those dreams."

Dody bowed his heads as Yellow turned back to him.

"Wanna know how?" she asked, smiling as she began preparing the trays. Dody looked up at her hopefully. "Just learn to like Lucifer."

Dody winced behind her back, obviously not fond of the idea. Unbeknownst to Yellow, Lucifer walked across room, rubbing his tail mockingly under Dody's beaks, knowing he wouldn't do a thing if Yellow was standing there.

"I mean it." Yellow stated, as if sensing his reaction. "Lucifer has his good points to. For one thing, he..." she trailed off, widening her eyes as she struggled to think of something good about the purugly. "Well, sometimes, he..." she paused again.

Dody glared at Lucifer, scooching away from him. Lucifer smirked, glancing at Yellow, arrogantly awaiting the onslaughts of compliments that he was clearly used to.

"Huh." Yellow murmured. "There must be _something_ good about him _."_

Lucifer blinked in surprise, the scowled at her. Dody let out a squawk of laughter, continuing to laugh. Lucifer glared at him for a moment, then a devious look going across his face. Slowly, he snuck underneath Dody while his head was turned, still laughing, and raised a clawed hand. He then ran his hand across Dody's face, causing him to hiss threateningly at him. Lucifer, in response, let out a convincing cry of alarm.

"Dody!" Yellow exclaimed, turning with a bowl of milk in one hand, causing the bird to shrink back. "Oh, Dody." Yellow sighed, gently leading him to the door, unaware of the glare he was giving the purugly. "I know it isn't easy." she said gently as Dody walked outside. "But at least we should _try_ to get along with each other."

Lucifer grinned victoriously as Yellow shut the door, then turned to him, setting down the milk with a little more force than necessary.

"And that includes you." she stated, tying a bandana around her head and grabbing the meal for the other pokémon. Lucifer glared at her, stirring the milk with his paws.

o.0.o.0.o

"Breakfast!" Pearl heard Yellow exclaim, no doubt already waking up the other pokémon. "Breakfast time! Everybody up!"

"All-*bleep*ing-right!" Topaz exclaimed, flitting through the small holes hidden behind the walls to get to the kitchen. "I'm starved!"

Diamond was humming happily as he rounded the corner, following his new friends, only to bump into Platinum's back, who bumped into Topaz, who bumped into Pearl, who abruptly stopped.

"It's Lucifer." he huffed out in annoyance, darting back into the hole with the other three following. Diamond blinked. What was so worrisome about the purugly? Couldn't they just fly over him? He felt someone grab his shirt, yanking him back.

"Why can't we just fly over him?" Diamond asked.

"Because he'll jump up at us." Platinum explained.

"He may be a fat*bleep*, but he can *bleep*ing jump." Topaz huffed, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"We almost lost Sapphire that one time." Pearl explained. "If it weren't for Ruby making him sneeze, she would have been swallowed for sure."

Diamond paled.

"Oh."

"Anyways, I have an idea." Pearl said, turning to them. "One of us distracts Lucifer, and leads him to the corner. Keep him there, and the rest of us will gather up food."

"Sounds a-o-*bleep*ing-kay to me." Topaz grinned.

"But who's going to do it?" Platinum mused. Everyone was silent at that. No one wanted to face the horror of being a side dish for Lucifers breakfast.

"Well, let's do a spark choosing." Topaz muttered, summoning a small orb of light the same color as her name. The others followed suite, Diamond a few seconds behind.

"Aaaaand go." Pearl said, whipping around and throwing it over his shoulder, the others doing the same. "I'll choose."

An eerie silences as Pearl covered his eyes with one hand, turned, and poked one of the orbs. Immediately, the other orbs disappeared. Slowly, they turned around, seeing a glowing pink orb sitting on his palm. No one said a word. Pearl hadn't opened his eyes yet, running his hand down his face.

"Well, I feel bad for the poor sucker who has to do this." he said.

"Open your eyes, wise*bleep*." Topaz said, crossing her arms. Her voice dropped to a quieter tone, worry briefly flashing across her face as she looked at the ground. "It's you."

"We'll always remember you." Platinum said. Pearl gulped as he stared at the orb in his hand, then closed his fist around it.

"Here." Pearl passed his satchel to Opal. "Take this and gather as much food as you can. Make sure you show Dia the rest of the ropes."

"*Bleep* you, Pearl!" Topaz suddenly exclaimed, grabbing the bag and smacking him upside the head with it. Before he could recover from the assault, she grabbed the front of his shirt. "That's Arceus-*bleep*ed quitters talk and the Pearl I know ain't no quitter!" she jabbed her finger into his chest. "Now grow a *bleep*ing pair, get the *bleep* out there, and *bleep*ing join us for breakfast, *bleep*it!"

A moment of silence.

"Heh, you're right." Pearl said, pulling her wrist free of his shirt. Inhaling deeply, he boldly stomped out into the open. Quietly, he fluttered towards Lucifer, hiding behind the paw propping up his head. He glanced at this, a devious idea coming into play.

"Oh, that smart *bleep*ing bastard." Topaz chuckled, almost as if catching onto his ploy. Pearl, true to her prediction, reared his leg back and kicked Lucifer's arm out from under him.

The purugly landed face first into his milk, shaking his head back and forth to see what was going on. Pearl, in response, flew up and kicked him in the nose. Lucifer glared menacingly at him, then chased after him as he darted around the table and chairs. Pearl continued to fly, leading the pokémon to the corner and leaping into a convenient hole in the pantry. Lucifer began clawing at the hole, trying to get his prey.

"Let's go, *bleep*it, nows out chance!" Topaz exclaimed, tugging on Diamonds shirt as Platinum darted out of the hole. The three flew outside, where Yellow stood in the center of a crowd of working pokémon living on the property.

"Miss Yellow!" Platinum exclaimed.

"Yellow! Yellow, down here, *bleep*it!" Topaz shouted. Yellow blinked, looking down at them.

"I was wondering where you were." she smiled, cocking her head. "But isn't there usually four?"

"He's busy." Topaz said. "C'mon, give us the grub, give us the grub!"

"At least be a little polite about it, Topaz." Platinum stated.

"*Bleep* you." Topaz said back. Yellow shook her head at their silly argument, a seemingly ongoing thing.

"All right." Yellow smiled, scooping up a handful of breadcrumbs. "Breakfast is served."

As soon as it hit the ground, Platinum and Topaz swooped down and began working to fill their pouches. Diamond, quickly catching on and began trying to scoop up pieces as well.

Accept for the fact that Topaz and Platinum suddenly disappeared, and he was suddenly surrounded by much bigger pokémon, snatching up every piece he tried to get. Eventually, he managed to snatch up a piece, only to have the same piece get grabbed in the beak of a bird pokémon.

"Hey, let go, let go!" he exclaimed, trying to get it free, only to get flung around like crazy until he fell to the ground.

"Oh, shoo, shoo!" Yellow exclaimed, getting the pokémon away. They quickly scattered, Diamond covering his head as they pounded past him. He glanced up at her, wings folded down dejectedly as he realized that they made off with the food. "Aw, poor little Dia." she smiled, pulling out another handful and laying it down in front of him. "Here, help yourself."

Diamond grinned brightly. A whole entire pile! Knowing that it was for the rest of the grove, he suppressed the urge to dig in, and began shoving as many pieces as he could into his bag. Somehow, he managed to shove nearly every piece in, two more tucked under his arms.

Grinning, he made his way back to the kitchen, a bit slower under the weight of the bag.

"There you are." Platinum said, waiting in the doorway for him. "Topaz already stored her food." Diamond glanced around, seeing the dirty blond fairy overhead, looking ready to divebomb if Lucifer managed to get Pearl.

"I got extra." he stated somewhat lamely with a bright grin. Platinum blinked at him.

"How nice." Platinum smiled politely. Dia almost felt the need to smack himself for such a moronic response in front of the pretty fairy. Regardless, he continued grinning. "Pearl is still distracting Lucifer. Let's get back before he realizes we're here."

"Yep!" Diamond nodded, fluttering across the kitchen. Neither dared to say a word when, suddenly...

" _ARCEUS *BLEEP*IT!"_

And then Diamond felt himself flying through the air. Dazed, he glanced up and saw his bag on the floor, half spilled out, while Lucifer had Platinum in his sights. He realized all to quickly what had happened. Lucifer smacked him aside with his paw, hoping to disorient him before moving in on his prey. He had half a mind to go over and kick him in the nose like Pearl had done earlier, only to hear Topaz shout above him.

"Hold your ponyta's, Dia! Pearl, I've got it!" he heard Topaz shout. He glanced up and saw Topaz pushing on the top of a broom while Pearl got the bottom. Suddenly, the broom fell, smacking Lucifer in the head. Diamond didn't take a chance to dally, but rather, scooped up his food while the purugly was down and out, and rushed back into the hole.

"Arceus, I thought you were goners." Pearl sighed in relief.

"*Bleep*." Topaz muttered, looking around. "Where's Miss Prissy Pants?"

Diamond looked around.

"She must have got away." Pearl stated with a shrug. Diamond could feel his worry overflowing.

"Aren't you worried?" he asked as Pearl slung a Diamonds bag over his shoulder.

"She's a smart girl." he said. "Plus Lucifer wouldn't try anything _to_ drastic with Yellow about to come in."

"I... I don't know." Diamond said, glancing back at the opening to the kitchen.

"Don't get your pantaloons in a twist." Topaz said gruffly. Diamond nodded mutely, watching as the two walked away. He glanced back out, then moved outside.

They wouldn't notice his absence, right?

He glanced out into the kitchen, and saw Lucifer leering over the table, paws held firmly over a teacup. Diamond had a sickening feeling what he had trapped under there.

Just as he was about to run out there to help her, a sharp jingle of a bell rung through the air, along with a shrill scream.

" _Cinders! Cinder-Yellow!"_

o.0.o.0.o

Yellow sighed as she came back inside, hanging up her apron as the shrill cries of her cousins rang out.

"Cinder-Yelloooooow!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming..." she murmured, quickly setting the plates and cups out. She turned back to the stove and began pouring their oatmeal into bowls, going into the cold storage. "Lorelie likes blueberries, Karen likes raspberries, only five..."

"Amarillo!"

She sighed at her aunt's shrill cry.

"And Agatha likes apples." she said, slicing up an apple and neatly placing three slices on top of the grains.

The bells rang out again as she put the teacup and saucers onto the trays. She quickly began gathering tea leaves, preparing their tea as the three bells began to ring out in an unharmonious union. She placed one tray atop her head and the other two onto her hands, hurrying into the house and through the hallways.

"Cinder-Yellooooooooow!"

She sighed, climbing the stairs, a routine that seemed to get more mundane every day. As she reached the top of the stairs, she blinked, suddenly feeling cool air against her toes. She turned around, then smiled, realizing that she lost her shoe at the top stair. Had it stretched out again? No, the back of the shoe had worn to threads. Slipping her shoe back on, she pondered if the cobbler would do her another favor and tighten them back up.

Unlikely, but Agatha wanted her to run errands today. She could always beg for a few coins from some of her friends.

Gently, she nudged open the first door.

"Good morning, Lorelie." she smiled at the eldest cousin, glasses on her face. "Sleep well?"

"What would you care, Cinders?" she stated, glaring at her as she took her tray. She pointed to a basket in the corner. "Take that ironing and have it back in an hour. One hour."

"Yes, Lorelie." she said, somehow managing to take the huge basket while balancing the tray on her head and the tray on her other hand.

She walked out the door, shutting it with her foot, and moved onto her next room. She gently opened the door, and saw Karen laying down. Had she fallen back asleep?

"Good morning, Karen." she smiled. Karen snorted something, then sat up, rubbing her eyes. Passing her tray off, Karen glared at her.

"It's about _time."_ she spat out. "Don't forget the mending! And don't take all day doing it, either."

"Yes Karen." Yellow responded, taking her small box of mending and putting it on top Lorelie's huge basket of ironing. Shutting the door behind her, she somehow managed to transfer the tray from her head onto her other hand. Gently, she knocked on the door with her foot. Pushing it open.

"Well, come in, child, come in."

"Good morning, Aunt Agatha." she said politely.

"Pick up the laundry and get on with your other duties." she stated bitterly.

"Yes, Aunt Agatha."

Yellow moved back down the stairs to the laundry room, the huge piles already seeming heavy. If, out of all her chores, she hated laundry the most. She hardly understood why her cousins and aunt needed to wear so much clothing in a single _week._ It was like they wore three outfits a day, and with Karen's clumsiness and Lorelies need to change her clothes every hour and leave it on the floor, Yellow was stuck with multitudes of sewing up tears and ironing wrinkles. If it weren't for the the Ruby, she was sure her dress would be falling at the seems.

Just as she was about to start Agatha's load of laundry, she heard a piercing scream of horror. Yellow jolted up, hearing a clatter of dishes and a groan of fear.

Rushing up the stairs out of concern, she reached for Karen's doorknob, only to have it yanked open by Karen herself. Briefly, she saw Diamond yanking Platinum through the air, and wondered what those two could have possibly done to elicit such a scream.

"Mother! Oh, Mother! Mother! Mother!" she cried out, nearly shoving Yellow back. She turned to her, a fierce glare on her face as she wagged her finger in Yellow's face. "You did it! You did it on purpose!"

"Did what?" Yellow whispered softly in question, watching as Karen continued freaking out, running down the hallway towards her mothers room.

"Now what did you do?!" Lorelie demanded, shoving her into the wall to go check up on her younger sister.

"She put it there! A big ugly... bug!" Karen cried. Yellow opened her mouth in horror. Bug...?! "Right under my teacup!" She glanced up and saw Platinum and Diamond resting on the molding, the former with a hand over her mouth, the latter with a comforting hand on her shoulder. Had one of them gotten caught under there?

Slowly, her gaze moved to Lucifer, who was pouting by the door. No wonder he was following her...

"Amarillo!" she heard Agatha cry out sharply. Lucifer seemed to do a happy dance as he pranced into his owners room. Her two cousins stepped out, haughtily looking at her.

"Aren't you gonna get it." Karen smirked. Lorelie simply 'hmphed'.

"Close the door, Amarillo." Yellow nodded, shutting the door in her cousins faces. A moment of silence. Yellow had a sinking feeling that she wouldn't be getting off so easily with this. "Come here."

With a sigh to steel her nerves, she stepped forward till she was at the foot of her Aunt's bed.

"You... You don't honestly believe that I-"

"Hold you tongue, servant." Agatha said sharply. "Now," she said, reaching over for her own teacup. "It seems we have time on our hands."

"But I've only done what-"

"Silence!" Yellow fell silent as Agatha poured some tea into her cup. "Time for vicious, practical jokes. Perhaps we can put it to better use. Now let me see..." she trailed off. "You'll have one hour to get the shopping done. After that..." she paused. "There's a large carpet in the hall." she glanced up at her, voice becoming stern and threatening. "Clean it. And the windows, upstairs and down. Wash them." she paused. "Oh yes. And the tapestries and the draperies..."

"B-B-But I finished-"

"Do them again." she ordered. "And don't forget the garden, sweep the terrace, scrub the stairs, clean the chimneys, and of course the mending and the ironing and the laundry..." she paused, taking a sip of her tea. "Oh yes, and one more thing." the teacup went to the saucer with a soft clink. "See that Lucifer gets his bath."

Yellow lowered her head, bowing politely.

"Yes, Aunt Agatha."

She walked out of the room, pondering if it was bad that she took some sort of strange joy out of seeing Lucifers look of absolute disdain at the word 'bath'.

o.0.o.0.o

"Please, White?" Yellow begged the cobblers daughter. "It's the only pair I have, and they're falling apart." The younger brunette looked conflicted, staring at her.

"I'm sorry, Yellow." she sighed, blue eyes falling on the counter. "My father would have my head if I gave you another freebee."

"Not even a few small stitches?"

"I'm sorry." White shook her head. "I really am."

"Gee, your dad must really be a cheap crank, then." Yellow jumped slightly as she whipped around, seeing a familiar set of red eyes. She smiled brightly.

"Fire!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, it's been a while." White smiled. "Can I get you something?"

"Yes." he placed a few coins on the counter. "A new pair of shoes for Miss Yellow."

"Oh, you don't have to-"

"To late." he grinned.

"Same as the last pair?" White asked. Yellow sighed, not really wanting to argue with one of her few friends.

"I... I suppose." she responded. White ducked behind the shelves, leaving the two alone.

"So what brings you in?" she asked him.

"I saw your ponytail and decided it's high time we had another conversation." Fire grinned. "It feels like ages since I last saw you."

"It might have been. I haven't been to town in a while."

"Has it gotten better?" Fire asked. Yellow didn't respond. "You don't have to live there. I've said it once, and I'll say it again, we've got room."

"I'm not going to impose." Yellow stated gently but firmly.

"I'm worried about you, Yellow."

Yellow giggled.

"Don't be. I'll be fine."

"Here you go." White said, placing a pair of simple flats on the desk. Yellow took them and slipped them on, giving her old pair to White, knowing her father would repair them and sell them for a cheap price.

"Thank you, Fire." she said, then turned to White. "Tell Black I said hello."

"Will do." White smiled. "Keep that chin up, Yellow. A stars not a star if she's shrinking into a corner."

Yellow shook her head at Whites performance metaphor, giving them both a slight wave as she walked out the door. She quickly made her way back to the chateau. She had a day of work ahead of her, anyways.

o.0.o.0.o

V blinked as she stared at he three children, then slowly glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. Well, well. It seems they were way up past their bedtime. She smiled, shuffling down slightly as Celina cuddled into her shoulder, Iri on top of her and Aini in her side. Aini muttered something about flying emolga.

V chuckled softly as she closed her eyes to sleep.

o.0.o.0.o

 **I think we can all guess who 'Fire' really is.**

 **Anyways, someone voted for TopazxPearl! That made me really happy. XD**

 **But yeah, I changed the mice to fairies because I wanted the dexholders to have a role.**

 **But it's like three AM right now, and i'm exhausted. Time for bed for Amy!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	7. Cinder-Yellow Part 3

"Mama!" Iri said, standing on top the bed with a pirate hat on his head, eyepatch over his eye, and a plastic sword in his hand. "I challenge you to make Cinder-Yellow actiony!"

"Actiony?"

"Yeah!"

"Iri, it's a stupid love story!" Aini scolded. "You can't make it actiony."

V rolled her eyes.

"So you don't want an actiony version of Cinder-Yellow?"

"I never said that." pouted Aini. V turned to Celina.

"It's your story, Celina. Do you mind?"

"It'll be wonderful and romantic either way." Celina sighed dreamily.

"Alright then." V grinned. "Actiony it is."

o.0.o.0.o

 _Cinder-Yellow, Part Three_

" _I'VE HAD ENOUGH!"_ Green sighed as King Kuen whizzed another heavy book across the room. "My son has been avoiding his responsibilities long enough!"

"Sir, your blood pressure." Green reminded stoically, crossing his arms behind his back as the king continued to rant and rave about his son. He barely batted an eye as another book whizzed by his head.

"It's high time he got married and settled down." he said, looking over papers. Green raised an eyebrow. He and Red were the same age, twenty, with Red nearing his twenty-first birthday. Honestly, he thought it was fairly young for anyone to get married, but he wasn't going to say anything as his sister married her husband, Bill, when she was only nineteen. Green couldn't exactly support the king either, as he wasn't married himself.

"I'll bet you've got your eye on a nice lass, right Green?"

"Of course, sir." he said, but only to appease him. Honestly, he couldn't care less. Women were annoying and were attracted to nobles like pokémon to honey. Half the time, women only flocked to him to get to the prince, so he simply ignored them. "But you must be patient-"

" _I AM PATIENT!"_

Obviously not, Green decided. He wondered, briefly, if the king was exploding now about Red shirking on his duties, how would he feel should he find out that Red was spending his days down in the village, talking to the cobblers girl and some servant girl?

"I'm not getting any younger, you know." the king sighed, seeming to cool down. "I want to see my grandkids before I pass."

"Understandable, sir."

"No." the king shook his head. "You don't know what it means to see your only child grow farther and farther and farther away from you."

Well, of course he wouldn't. He wasn't even married yet.

"I'm lonely in this desolate, empty palace." he sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I want to hear the pitter-patter of little feet again." And then he began sobbing. Green sighed at his emotional king. "Green, you're a smart young man, as your father was before you and your grandfather before him. What do you think I should do?"

Green sighed. It didn't really matter what he thought the king should do or what the king did. Red was going to do what he wanted anyways.

"Maybe you should just leave him alo-"

"Leave him alone?!" the king shouted. "With his..." he trailed off, waving his hands frantically as he tried to figure out what word to use. _"Silly_ romantic ideas?"

"Well, in matters of love-"

"Love? Ha!" the king rolled his eyes. "A boy meeting a girl under the right conditions, falling for each other as they look into each others eyes?" he crossed his arms and scowled. "And here I thought better of you. Nobility marry first, then fall in love, not the other way around."

Green had to agree with him on that. But with Red and his stubbornness, he wasn't going to bend easily.

"Then perhaps you should arrange the conditions." Green suggested offhandedly.

A moment of silence.

" _THAT'S IT!"_ he exclaimed, slamming his fist on his desk. "His birthday tomorrow! We'll throw a party and invite _all_ the young maidens! What could be more natural than a ball celebrating his twenty-first birthday?"

"Nothing, sir." Green stated simply.

"And with all the eligible maidens who just _happen_ to show up," he grinned. "He's bound to show interest in one of them and he'll have to choose a wife!"

Green wanted to say that it was a stupid idea trying to push this onto Red as he'll stubbornly refuse to find someone, regardless of wether he liked them or not. But he knew that, much like his son, once the king made up his mind, there was no changing it.

"And the moment does, the musicians will play romantic music," he grinned happily, miming the playing of a violin. "The lights will dim, all the trimmings!" he chuckled knowingly. "It can't possibly fail!"

Yes it can, Green thought.

"Green! Start the preparations! Invite the nobility of the neighboring towns and make _sure_ every young lady you can find will be here. And make _sure,"_ he jabbed his finger into his chest for emphasis. "Red doesn't find out. He'll quickly put the kibosh on it real quick or do everything in his power to sabotage it."

"Yes sir." Green bowed politely, only letting out the irritated sigh once he was out of the room.

Somehow, he had a feeling this was going to be a huge waste of time.

o.0.o.0.o

Yellow let out a squeak of surprise as the soot from the chimney fell on top of her, nearly coloring her golden blond hair black. She sneezed from the sudden onslaught, then glanced at the chimney.

"And that's the last of the chimneys." Yellow said, rubbing her forehead with the back of her hand, unwittingly rubbing coal dust on her forehead.

After she had gotten home from shopping, she had immediately set upon her chores, doing almost everything that was assigned to her by Agatha. All that was left was the gardening and Lucifer's bath. Her hands paused at dusting up the soot as she stared at the big ugly scratch marks from her first attempt. Looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was lurking, she raised her hand over her arm, and watched as the skin mended itself together with her powers.

Gardening first. Then she'd wash her hands and attempt to give Lucifer a bath again.

Just as she opened the door, she saw Fire on the other side, hood on his cloak up, as always, looking ready to knock. He blinked. She blinked back.

"Um, hi." he said, smiling. "Perfect timing, huh? Is Yellow in?"

Yellow promptly shoved him out the doorway and slammed the door shut behind her. She shoved him around the corner of the doorway, out of the view of any windows, and waited.

"Forward, aren't we?" Fire laughed as she paused her shoving. Yellow shushed him, then looked up at the windows.

" _I'm coming home, I'm coming home,_

 _Tell the world I'm coming home..."_

"Yow." Fire muttered at the shrill notes of Karen's singing and awkward squeaks of Lorelei's flute. In the background, Agatha was playing the piano, trying to keep a beat.

"I know." Yellow sighed at the noise. Fire blinked, then leaned down, blinking at her.

"Yellow, is that you?" he asked, sounding surprised. She giggled slightly.

"Yeah. Chimney accident, you could say."

"Wow. I almost didn't recognize you! Your hair almost looked black."

"I know." she paused, face suddenly going serious. "Why are you here? My family would be _enraged...!"_

"I had to tell you something." Fire said simply. "Just a simple message."

"And you thought it was a good idea to just coming knocking on the door?!"

"Well... I kind of just found myself knocking before I could think of a concrete plan."

"Arceus..." Yellow trailed off.

"Anyways," Fire grinned. "My birthday is tomorrow and I'm inviting you and White and Black to dinner!"

"D...Dinner?" she asked, blinking. No way would she be able to convince Agatha into allowing her to do such a thing. And if she snuck out... "I... I can't."

"You can't?" the smile fell from his face. Yellow nodded. "Why?"

"B-Because..."

"Yellow!"

Yellow blinked, seeing the bright grin of Black. He had a huge bag of letters over his shoulder, holding one in his hand. Although it wasn't entirely official, Black was essentially the town messenger, paid to deliver messages wether written or said.

"Good afternoon, Black." Yellow greeted, wiping her hands on her apron as she and Fire approached the gate. "What's the message today?"

"It's a big one." Black said as Yellow took the letter. "The king's throwing a ball for the prince's birthday. He told me to deliver this to every house, especially those with young, unmarried women. As you can probably guess," he patted his bulging bag. "I thought of you and ran here as fast as I could."

"The prince's birthday, you say?" Fire muttered, glancing at the royal seal on the envelope. "That's tomorrow, right?"

"Yep." Black nodded. "There was an equally big bash when the prince turned ten. I was seven then, but there was a festival for, like, a week."

"Heh, I remember that." Yellow smiled. "Uncle Wilton took me."

A small pause.

"Oh, no!" Yellow exclaimed, hands going to her mouth, turning to Fire. "Your birthday dinner..."

"Damn..." Black muttered, running a hand across his face. "I didn't even think about that..."

"It's fine." Fire sighed, shaking his head. "I'm going to be forced to go to this thing, anyways. Pops orders."

"Heh, he _did_ say all eligible maidens." Black joked. Fire ground his fist into Black's head.

"Then I better see you there as well." Fire said through gritted teeth, though he was smiling.

"Well, maybe we can meet up there!" Yellow said enthusiastically.

"It could work." Black said thoughtfully, shoving Fire off. "White will definitely be there, no doubt, what with her dad being so greedy."

"I... I might be able to go as well." Yellow said thoughtfully. "I have most of my chores done. And I... I can fix up my mothers old dress..." her face suddenly became bright with positive energy. "Yeah! I... I can go!"

"Don't let those stupid cousins of yours hold you down!" Black exclaimed determinedly. "White and I will kidnap you if we have too!"

"You deserve a break." Fire nodded in agreement. "I'll look out for that ponytail, okay?" Yellow blinked at that, then nodded her head.

"Um... Um, Fire..." she stuttered nervously. Fir paused. Hesitantly, she dug around in the pocket of her apron, reached out and put something in his hand. He blinked, seeing a small little pushpin with a small little pushpin, a seaking on the front.

"What is this?" he cocked his head, glancing at the little thing. Yellow blushed.

"Er... that was my uncle's. You never put your hood down, so, I thought I'd give it to you... as something to recognize you by..."

"That's a good idea!" Red encouraged. "I'll wear it tomorrow."

Yellow beamed.

"I'll go deliver this to Aunt Agatha. I'll see you soon!"

The two young men watched her hurry into the house, hair still coated with soot.

"Do you think they'll actually let her go?" Fire asked as they began walking away from the gate.

"Doesn't matter." Black sighed. "White and I will kidnap her anyways."

"Heh, I might actually join in on you with that." Fire chuckled. "She's working herself to the bone. I hardly recognized her when I came there."

"You know that when she gets to the ball, she's gonna find out who you really are."

"So?"

"So don't you think she'll be mad? That you lied?"

"If she hasn't realized it yet, then she's not going to realize it or believe me until we get to the ball." a small silence. "And besides, this is Yellow we're talking about. We could tell her I'm a serial killer and she won't be angry."

"Well, it's not like she gets out much." Black sighed. "And that's true."

"I'll better let you get back to your work." Fire said, waving. "I've got to go and discuss this little ball," he plucked an invitation from Blacks satchel. "With my father."

"Don't go killing the king, no matter how beneficial it is." Black joked.

"Don't worry." Fire frowned, looking at the royal seal keeping the envelop closed. "It's just going to be a small little talk."

o.0.o.0.o

"Yellow, I sincerely apologize for the unjust punishment you received on my behalf." Platinum said, bowing midair with Dia, Pearl, and Topaz around her. Yellow smiled happily. She was glad that Dia managed to find a place among the grove.

"It's not your fault." Yellow said gently as she walked into the house. "I should have checked the cups before I took it up to Karen and Lorelei."

"See, Platinum?" Dia grinned reassuringly. "I told you she wouldn't be mad!"

"So what's that, Yellow?" Pearl asked, staring at the envelope.

"A letter from the king." Yellow said, showing them the royal seal. "There's a ball tomorrow and all eligible young ladies are to attend." she smiled fondly as she thought of Fire. "I... plan on going with some friends."

"Oooooh." Topaz grinned teasingly. "Mr. Hot-Shot from the town?"

"Mr. Hot-Shot?" Dia asked.

"It's some guy from the village that she's infatuated with." Pearl grinned. Yellow blushed, smiling nervously.

"I wouldn't call it an _infatuation..."_

"But she's had her fare share of wet dreams about 'im." Topaz smirked. Yellow blinked at her. Then her hands flew to her face as she began blushing madly. She would admit that she had wonderful- albeit, cheesy- dreams of her and Fire, but nothing, _nothing_ like what Topaz was implying.

"It... It's just a silly little crush!" she defended.

All of them suddenly winced as another note from _Coming Home_ was brutally botched by Karen.

"Heh, maybe now we can interrupt the..." she trailed off, shooting them a humored look. "Music lessons?"

"If brutally murdering a rattatta is called *bleep*ing music, then I'm going to figure out a way to go deaf." Topaz muttered as she followed Yellow up the stairs. They hid on the molding, listening for a moment as Karen continued to sing a single note horribly. Suddenly, the music stopped, and there was silence.

"You clutz!" Karen shrieked. "You did that on purpose!"

"Now, now, girls." they heard Agatha say. "Remember, self control."

At this point, Yellow decided it was a good time to knock, so she softly rapped on the door. A horrible sound emitted from the piano, as if the player slammed their hands down onto it.

" _What?!"_ Agatha yelled. Yellow timidly opened the door.

"Amarillo!" Agatha exclaimed, standing up threateningly. "I warned you never to interrupt-!"

"But this just arrived from Black!" Yellow blurted out, holding up the invitation.

"Black?" Lorelei asked. Yellow blinked.

"The messenger boy? He's been delivering messages to us for-"

"I can't believe you took the time to learn his name." Karen snickered.

"What is it? Who is it from?" Agatha demanded.

"I think it's an invitation. From the palace." Yellow said.

"From the palace?!" Lorelei and Karen exclaimed, running across the room. Karen snatched it from her, tearing it open, only to have Lorelei snatch it from her. The two quickly began arguing over it, and Yellow seriously became concerned it would get ripped.

" _I'll_ read it." Agatha said, calmly taking the letter from their hands. She red over it, then a large smile came onto her face. Yellow blinked in surprise. Agatha never smiled. Ever. "There's to be a ball tomorrow night."

"A ball?!" Karen and Lorelei exclaimed.

"In honor of his highness's, Prince Red, twenty-first birthday."

"The prince!" they both echoed excitedly.

"And by royal command," Agatha said, reading from the letter. "Every eligible maiden is to attend." she looked up, a huge grin on her face.

"Why, that's us!" Karen exclaimed, excited.

Out of the corner of her eye, Yellow saw Pearl making gestures at the two, indicating they didn't have a chance. Topaz seemed to be mocking them, jumping around with a scrunched up look on her face, as if mocking their dancing. Dia was thoughtfully chewing on some candy, and Platinum looked excited.

"That includes me as well, correct?" Yellow asked, working up the courage to ask.

"Ha!" Karen laughed. "Her, dancing with the prince!"

"Can you imagine?" Lorelei laughed. "I'd be honored your highness," she said mockingly while curtsying. "Would you mind holding my broom?"

They both laughed as they began dancing with each other. Yellow let out a barely audible sigh of frustration. She had no intent whatsoever on dancing with the prince, she only wanted to talk to White, joke around with Black, and dance with Fire, if she could be so lucky.

"Well," she said, feeling oddly confident today. She wanted to go out with her friends. She wanted to wish Fire a happy birthday. She wanted one night, just one, meaningless night, off. "Why not?"

Both stared at her in open-mouthed shock. Agatha was looking at her disdainfully. Yellow steeled her nerves and stood up taller.

"After all," she reminded. "I'm still a member of this family." she noticed Platinum nodding with each word she said, Diamond giving her a thumbs up, and Topaz and Pearl shaking their clasped fists in the air, as if in victory. "And it says... by royal command, every eligible maiden is to attend."

"Yes." Agatha said with much less excitement in her voice. "So it does." she turned, a sly smile on her face. "Well, I see no reason why you can't go."

Karen and Lorelei looked at each other in open-mouthed horror.

"If you get all your work done," Agatha shrugged. Yellow could feel her own mouth open, but this one in excited surprise.

"Oh, I will!" she exclaimed, not having felt so happy in years, rushing towards the door.

" _And_ ," Agatha added on. "You find something suitable to wear."

"I will, Aunt Agatha! Don't worry, I will!"

Agatha watched as the door closed behind her. Lorelei and Karen looked at their mother in horror.

"Mother, do you realize what you just said?!" Lorelei exclaimed in horror.

"Of course." Agatha smirked. "I said 'if'."

o.0.o.0.o

It was very late in the night as Agatha walked through the streets of the town. Unlike in the daytime, when the town was beautiful and quaint and bustling and safe, at night it was dark and frightening, littered with people with less than a higher standing.

Agatha wasn't worried, though. She had her ghost type pokémon to scare away any would-be attackers.

She came to the tavern she was looking for, and went inside, immediately spotting a bright mass of spiked red hair.

"Ah, Agatha." the man grinned. "It's been some time. Who's the lucky man that needs to be knocked off the shelves now?"

"No husband this time, I'm to old to get remarried." Agatha sighed, sitting down. "My money's drying up, Lance."

"I don't do loans." he stated immediately.

"I _know,_ Lance."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because I'm running short on money and I have a nuisance living in my house who's set to inherit nearly and entire fortune."

"That Yellow girl? I thought all the money and handling of the money was left to you after Wilton got knocked off."

"Well, it wasn't." Agatha grumbled. "He left about an eighth of it to me and my daughters, the rest to Yellow. They won't give me a cent of it, no matter how much I beg."

"Then you shouldn't have squandered your kids."

"They deserve the best." Agatha said bitterly. "The best dresses, the best shoes, the best husbands, the best everything."

"I never said they didn't." Lance said. "I said you squandered the money." Lance sighed at her venomous glare. "So what do you want?"

"I want you to burn the house down with Amarillo in it."

Lance paused at that.

"Again?" he finally asked. "Don't you think that's a little flashy, two house fires in under ten years?"

"I need it to look like an accident. Plus if the house gets damaged, I might get compensation for that as well." she paused. "Same amount as last time?"

"Nope." Lance shook his head. "These are new stomping grounds. She's just a young girl, not some old guy. It's gonna have to be higher."

Agatha ground her teeth for a moment.

"Fine." she sighed. Lance rested his elbows on the table.

"When?"

"Tomorrow night."

"The night of the ball? All the eligible young ladies are supposed to attend that. Are you sure that Yellow'll won't find a way to go?"

"Oh, she won't go. I'll give her so much work to do, she won't have time for making a dress." she paused. "And if she _does_ find time, she'll be so exhausted she'll pass out before she could even get out the door."

Agatha stood to leave, but Lance stopped her.

"Whoa, whoa, black widow." he said mockingly. "Payment upfront this time."

"What?! Why?"

"Because I don't trust you'll give me my fair cut."

Agatha blinked, then scowled, dropping a bag of coins on the table. Lance opened it, shifting through the money.

"That enough?"

"Good." Lance nodded, flipping the coin in the air. Agatha left the tavern with a huff, leaving him chuckling to himself. She actually paid it all upfront. What an idiotic woman. Sure, he would accept hits on old men any day. They were due to die soon, anyways. But he wasn't going to go and knock off nice girl like Yellow for a stupid old woman who can't control he wallet.

He just got paid for doing absolutely nothing. And if Agatha was mad, what did he care? She posed no threat to him at all.

o.0.o.0.o

The next morning, Yellow woke up without the pestering of her fairy friends. She had worked herself to near exhaustion finishing her chores, and she was proud to say that she had completed _every last one._ Now, with her families breakfast served, she could spend all day working on the dress.

Happily, she pulled out an old blue dress that her mother loved.

"Isn't it lovely?" she asked them, holding it up in front of her. "It was my mothers."

"It looks a little old, don't you think?" Opal asked, cocking her head.

"Well, it might be a little old-fashioned," Yellow commented, pulling it over a mannequin she had pulled out of storage. "But we can fix that easy, right?"

"Of course!" Ruby grinned, looking absolutely ecstatic to get his hands on the article of clothing. "We'll fix-"

"Cinders!" a shrill shriek echoed throughout the house, causing the occupants of the room to wince.

"Cinder-Yellow!"

"Amarillo!"

Yellow sighed as they voices continued to echo.

"Now what do they want?" she asked, staring at the door with slight disdain. After a moment, and more screaming, she stood in front of her gown, slightly brushing her fingers against the fabric. "I guess my dress will just have to wait."

" _CINDERS!"_

"I'm coming!" she called, opening her door and hurrying down the stairs.

"Poor Yellow," Soul sighed. "It seems like every time she has even a little time to herself, they begin yelling and screaming."

As if to prove her point, they began yelling again. Annoyed, Pearl and Topaz kicked the door closed.

"Every *bleep*ing time." Topaz grumbled. "This and that and this and that. Arceus."

"I thought she had everything done." Diamond said, blinking in surprise.

"They'll find a way to keep her busy." Jade crossed her arms.

"It's always work, work, work." Opal sighed. "They've got it all fixed and planned."

"They probably are doing it on purpose so she can't go to the ball whatsoever." Onyx huffed.

A heavy pause.

"Well, why are we sitting here then?" Crystal finally asked. "We may be small, but we aren't incompetent."

"What're you saying, Crys?" Gold asked, staring at her.

"Why don't we make the dress?" Crystal asked, tugging at a book containing designs for the dress. "I mean, we have Ruby and Soul. They've been fixing up Yellow's dresses for years."

"That's true." Sapphire mused, helping her shove the book out. Ruby immediately began flipping through it, trying to find a design.

"Yellow's done so much for us." Silver nodded in approval. "This is the least we can do in return."

"All *bleep*ing right, then!" Topaz grinned, holding up a needle like a sword. "Where do I stab it?"

"Er..." Ruby trailed off, glancing at her.

"It seems we need a sash." mused Platinum.

"Some beads would look nice." Diamond pointed out. Platinum smiled at him.

"Shall we split up and go search for some?" she suggested.

"Yeah!" Topaz grinned, forgetting about 'stabbing' the dress with the needle.

"I'll go too." Pearl offered.

"The more the *bleep*ing merrier, that's what I say!" Topaz grinned, obviously excited at the prospect of scavenging.

As the four ran off to go on their little scavenging exposition, the other fairies glanced at each other.

"We really," Gold said, crossing his arms. "Need to consider on making those four our official scavenging crew."

o.0.o.0.o

Slowly, Pearl brought back a small piece of wallpaper so they could sneak into Lorelei's room. She was always leaving things laying on the floor, so it wasn't like they expected her to actually notice anything missing.

"And this too, Cinders, my gown needs to be mended-"

"And I want this dress to be ironed-"

"Mend the button holes!"

"Press my skirt too, and mind the ruffles, you're always terrible when it-"

"Do they ever stop complaining?" Diamond asked.

"Unfortunately, no." Platinum sighed.

"And Amarillo!" Topaz made a gagging face at Agatha's voice.

"Yes?" Yellow asked, sounding exhausted at the prospect of preparing Karen and Lorelei's dresses.

"When you're through," they could almost hear the smirk in her voice. "And before you begin your regular chores, I have a few little things that needs to be fixed."

"Yes, Aunt Agatha." Yellow sighed, turning and walking out the door.

"Oh, Mother, I don't see why everybody else gets to have such nice things." Karen complained. "And I always end up in these old rags." she frantically waved an old white sash around. "This sash!" she scoffed. "I wouldn't be seen dead in it!"

"You should talk." Lorelei huffed, slamming some golden-colored beads on the ground. "These beads! I'm sick of looking at them." As if to punctuate her point, she kicked the beads across the room. Pearl shared a glance with Topaz, and they nodded in agreement.

Karen and Lorelei continued complaining as they left the room, leaving it vacant. The only other living thing in the room

"Alright, lets be really, careful-" Platinum began, only for Topaz to completely disregard her, whipping out of the hole with a excited grin on her face.

"Topaz!" Pearl hissed. She waved at them while holding up the discarded sash.

"I can't say I've ever seen her act like this." Dia mused.

"We haven't either." Pearl said through gritted teeth, fluttering out after her. He grabbed the other corner of the sash and began dragging it back, careful to be quiet so not to wake Lucifer.

Unbeknownst to them, Lucifer had woken up, and was confusingly staring at the sash seemingly moving on it's own. Once he caught sight of the two fairies, he began making a chase for them.

"Nope!" Topaz shouted as she and Pearl dashed into the hole, tugging the sash behind them. Lucifer, however, was smarter, and immediately began tugging on the sash himself.

"Crap, let go!" Pearl exclaimed.

"The sash would be useless if it ripped...!" Platinum exclaimed, darting out into the room to taunt Lucifer.

"Get out there, *bleep*it!" Topaz shouted to Diamond. Diamond nodded, darting out to also distract Lucifer. The cat had since given up on the sash and was now chasing Platinum, allowing Topaz and Pearl to tug the rest of the sash into the cubby hole.

Suddenly Lucifer leapt up and snatched up Platinum in his mouth. Platinum let out a terrified shriek while Diamond let out an exclamation of fear, stupidly diving down and holding Lucifer's mouth open with his feet and hands.

"Let her go! Let her go!" he exclaimed, arms buckling under the pressure. Platinum tumbled out of his mouth as quickly as she could, trying to run across the floor. Diamond wondered, for a moment, why she wasn't flying, when he realized what happened to fairies wings when they get wet. They get heavy and useless, like two coins attached to their back, weighing them down.

Diamond quickly flew after her, yanking her up into his arms, bristling slightly at the wetness that covered her.

"Take this you stupid *bleep*!" Topaz shouted, buying them some time by kicking Lucifer in the nose. The purugly meowed in frustration, chasing after her.

"Is she okay?" Pearl asked as Diamond practically collapsed into the hole in the wall.

"I think she's just shaken up." Diamond stated, glancing at the shivering, silent Platinum.

"Hey, maggots!" Topaz shouted, coming into the room with the beads wrapped around her. "While all ya'll were sittin' in here *bleep*ing having a group therapy session, I got these *bleep*ing beads."

" _How?"_ exclaimed Pearl. Topaz nodded her head in the doorway, sandy blond hair getting tossed in the process. Diamond and Pearl shuffled towards the opening, and saw Lucifer humorously tangled in clothes, face poking through a sleeve, making it look like he was, oddly enough, wearing a bonnet.

Pearl and Diamond burst out laughing.

o.0.o.0.o

When the clock struck seven'o'clock, Yellow glanced out the window with her broom in hand, seeing a small, dare she say, dinky little carriage pulling up. She felt a small smile come to her face as she thought about Lorelei and Karen's disgusted reactions at the less than suitable carriage for them.

Her smile quickly fell, however, when she went to alert her family. She was still in her ragged dress, and she was exhausted from the days work. There was no way she would be able to make a dress suitable for the ball.

For a moment, she felt tears threatening to spill, but she quickly shook that off. She didn't know why she was thinking of crying now. She'd stop crying a little after her Uncle Wilton died. She simply ran out of tears to cry.

She knocked on the door of her Aunt Agatha's room. A moment of silence, then she opened it, wearing a much fancier dress.

"The carriage is here." Agatha said.

"Oh." she said. Yellow turned to walk away, only to hear her speak in mock sympathy. "Why, Amarillo, you're not ready?"

"I'm not going." she responded simply, not bothering to turn around.

"Not going?" exclaimed Agatha. "Oh, what a shame. But of course there will be other times, Amarillo."

Yellow paused, her head still held high. She turned to look at her.

"My name is Yellow. Goodnight." she stated simply before walking away to the attic.

As she got to her room, she flopped on her bed.

"Well, what's an old ball anyways?" she stated, not even caring if any of her fairy friends were listening. Chuchu climbed on the bed, gently licking her cheek in comfort. Yellow rolled over on her back, holding Chuchu above her in a way so that the skin around her neck bunched around her face, making it seem like she didn't even have a neck. Yellow giggled at her silly expression. "I'm sure... I'm sure it'll be dreadfully dull and... and I can always wish Fire a happy birthday next time I see him. He'll always have other birthdays. Just remember August eighth, right?"

She turned to look over her shoulder.

"Ri-" she trailed off in surprise as light suddenly shined upon a nearly new dress. Instead of the old dress that her mother had, she saw a lovely light blue dress with a white sash around the waist, and little golden embroideries across the bottom. Across the bust was a white ribbon, and on the hanger was a string of golden beads.

" _SURPRISE!"_ everyone shouted.

"Happy birthday!" Diamond threw in.

"Idiot, it's not her birthday!" Pearl exclaimed, glaring at him.

"Crap, she's crying!" Onyx exclaimed, watching as delicate little tears rolled down Yellow's face.

"Hey, sweet cheeks, what's with the waterworks?" Carnelian asked.

"Did we botch it? Oh, no, we botched it!" Soul exclaimed.

"Ruby, you dolt, this is your fault!" Sapphire exclaimed, flying after him.

"No, no it's lovely!" Yellow exclaimed, trying to calm things down. "I'm just... just really, really happy!"

"Then cut the *bleep* with the tears and change, *bleep*it!" Topaz shouted.

"Yeah!" Opal nodded. "You've got a date, right?"

"I wouldn't call it a date..."

"No time for this idle chatter!" Jade ordered. "Boys, out! Yellow, change!"

"Aye, aye, ma'am!"

o.0.o.0.o

"Now remember," Agatha reminded her two daughters. "When you're presented to his highness-"

"Wait!"

Their mouths all dropped at the sight of Yellow hurrying down the stairs in a rather beautiful dress.

"Where on earth did she get that?" Karen hissed to Lorelei.

"Please, wait for me!" Yellow exclaimed, continuing down the stairs. She beamed. "Isn't it lovely?" She did a small twirl, obviously proud and excited about the lovely dress. she paused, glancing at them. "Do you like it? Do you think it will do?"

Unlike her two daughters, Agatha kept her mouth closed as she looked over the dress. Her hair was tied in her signature ponytail, a lovely white lily tucked into the hairband.

"Cinder-Yellow!" Lorelei said in an almost scolding manner.

"Mother, she can't go!" Karen cried out. "You wouldn't do that to us!"

Then at the same time, both began complaining about not letting Yellow go to the ball.

"Girls, please." Agatha said, shushing the two instantly. "After all, we did make a bargain." she glanced over Yellows dress again, the golden beads around her neck catching her eye. "And after all, I never go back on my word."

Yellow took an instinctive step back as Agatha began walking towards her, suddenly very nervous. Agatha had never hit her as she had Lorelei and Karen handle any physical abuse she wanted inflicted. So what was she planning...?

"How very clever." Agatha complimented, glancing at the beads. "These beads... give it just the right touch." she turned to Lorelei. "Don't you think so, Lorelei?"

"No, I don't." she immediately said, crossing her arms and turning her head away. "Quite frankly I think she's hi-" she cut herself off with her own gasp as she turned to look at the beads again. "Why you little thief! They're _my beads!"_

She quickly crossed the room as her mother stepped back, snatching at the beads and ripping them clean off Yellow's neck, uncaring that she pretty much destroyed them in the process. Yellow knew what was coming as her hands flew to wear the beads were, crying out in alarm.

"Please don't! This was my mother's-!"

"Oh, look that's my sash, wearing my sash-!" Karen cut both herself and Yellowoff as she ripped the sash from around Yellow's waist. She heard a horrible ripping sound, and knew that they had damaged something other than the sash.

"This is what happens to little thieves!" Lorelei hissed angrily as she and Karen continued to tear the dress apart, despite the pleads from Yellow to stop.

"Girls, girls!" Agatha said, putting a stop to it before either off them could land a punch. "That's quite enough." she turned and opened the door. "Hurry along now, both of you. I won't have you upsetting yourselves." as she was about to follow her daughters out the door, she paused, turning to look at Yellow. "And Amarillo," she glanced at the near broken girl and the tattered remains of what was once a beautiful dress. "Clean up that mess."

Yellow could feel her lip trembling as she stared down at what she was wearing, her eyes going over the torn cloth and broken beads all across the floor. Clean up, she said. That's all she was good for, wasn't it? All... All she wanted was to wish her friend one simple happy birthday. To see Black and White and Fire... To feel nice and beautiful and maybe have a little fun for a change...

Slowly, she just sort of collapsed onto the floor, covering her mouth with her hands as she stared at the ruined dress. She didn't want to look at it, but no matter what she did, she couldn't turn away. It was like a bad accident or something. Just one thing... One _stupid_ little night...!

Yellow hadn't cried since she was twelve. She thought her tears had dried up from all the crying she had done previously. But it seems that wasn't the case. Rather, her tears had been locked away inside, as if waiting for the perfect moment to come out.

And it seems as if now was that time.

She sobbed there in the foyer, not noticing her fairy friends in the background, hovering over her guiltily. Dody and Chuchu also peeked their heads out, but didn't know how to console her. No doubt this even was the straw that broke the camerupt's back.

"It's just no use." she muttered between sobs. "All I'm good for is cleaning and cooking."

Her aunt and her sisters were right. She was an ugly disgrace, unbefitting of even glancing at the palace let alone dance inside it. Black and White... no doubt they were false friendships made out of pity. And Fire... Fire's probably dancing the night away with some other beautiful girl, maybe even a princess, or one of her cousins. He would hate her for this, she was sure. No doubt that he was so looking forward to her being there, and now she couldn't even give him that. For all of his kindness, she couldn't even show up to a stupid ball and wish him a stupid happy birthday.

"I guess it's as the saying goes," Yellow murmured. "You can put lipstick on a tepig, but it's still just a tepig."

"Isn't it the same the other way around, though?" Yellow let out a startled gasp at the new voice, snapping her head up to see as young woman with long brown hair and bright blue eyes, wearing a blue dress that shimmered just perfectly that it reminded her of water. The dress was tight around the waist but loose in the skirt and sleeves, making the effect seem even more realistic. From her back was a pair of the most beautiful, shimmering white wings that Yellow had ever seen, almost ghost-like. She had her chin in her hand, a mischievous look on her face. "If you put rags on a princess, isn't she still a princess?"

Yellow blinked, taking a startled step back, but mutely nodded in response. She let out a chuckle, then clapped her hands.

"It's all about perspective, that's what I always say!" she laughed. "Anyways, you're probably wondering, who are you? Well, Miss Yellow, that's simple. I'm Blue, your fairy godsister because I'm much to young to be a godmother."

"W... Well, I can't exactly be surprised, since I've had a grove of fairies living in my room for nearly six years." Yellow said shakily.

"Great!" Blue grinned. "That saves me time from calming you down after a freakout!"

"Uh... right."

"Anyways, you can't go to a ball like that." Blue said, tapping her chin.

"I-I can't go to the ball-"

"Sure you can!" Blue grinned, dragging her outside. "Now be a dear and fetch me a pumpkin!"

"A... A pumpkin?"

"Yes, any pumpkin will do." Blue said, glancing at her. "Well, what are you waiting for? We haven't got all night you know! Go to the garden and bring me back the biggest pumpkin you can find!"

Yellow wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that other than fetching a pumpkin for her, so she did just that. Once she somehow managed to lug the huge thing to the front of the house, Blue has happily talking to the grove of fairies, all of which were out front, while Chuchu and Dody stood cautiously in the doorway.

"Oh, this one is perfect!" Blue grinned, pulling a silver wand out of nowhere. "Now lets see... something, something, something... bibbidi, bobbidi, blue!"

Yellow stepped back in surprise as the pumpkin suddenly grew to the size of a carriage, the orange replaced by silver, the vines becoming delicate wheels.

"Oh, it's better than I expected!" Blue grinned. "Now I need some fairies. Anyone here brave enough to be a rapidash for the night?" The entire grove went silent at the prospect of that. Blue sighed. "So stubborn. I'll just choose for myself then. Bibbidi, bobbidi, blue!"

Yellow gasped as Topaz, Pearl, Diamond, and Platinum suddenly became rapidash, each with fiery manes flickering the color of their namesake. They glanced at each other, than Topaz snickered.

"Pearl, you're fires *bleep*ing pink." she said offhandedly.

"And now we need a coachman and a footman." Blue mused glancing over the fairies again. "Hmm..." her eyes settled on Ruby and Sapphire. "Bibbidi, bobbidi, blue!" The two blinked as they were suddenly human sized, without wings.

"This is weird." Sapphire muttered, looking at her back.

"It's not going to be that long." Ruby shrugged. "Just deal with it for Yellow."

"Ugh, fine." Sapphire rolled her eyes, scrambling up to handle the reigns while Ruby hopped onto the back.

"Now for the finishing touch." Blue grinned, waving her wand again. Yellow felt her heart leap at this, for she knew that this meant that she was going to, hopefully, get a gown. "Bibbidi, bobbidi, blue!"

She blinked as a rain of blue sparkles surrounded Blue herself, and suddenly, she was wearing a blue ballgown and lacking her wings. She turned to Yellow with a bright grin.

"I've never been to a human ball before, so let's go!"

"Um... but..."

"No need to thank me!" Blue hummed happily, dragging her over to the carriage. "C'mon, c'mon, lets go!"

"You *bleep*ing hack!" Topaz yelled. "You-"

"Topaz!" Yellow scolded gently. "Um, I don't... Actually, I do thank you, but don't you think my dress..."

"Yes! Yes, it's lovely!" Blue grinned. "Absolutely..." she trailed off, eyes going wide. "Good Arceus, what happened to you?"

"*bleep*y cousins." Sapphire stated simply.

"Hm..." Blue said, standing over the smaller girl. "Lets see... Hazel eyes... and maybe if we based it off that..." she snapped. "Bibbidi, bobbidi, blue!"

Yellow had to say it was strange. She felt a warm feeling go over her, and then a rush of wind. Through the haze of sparkles, she wondered if this was how the fairies or her pokémon felt whenever she healed them with her own magic.

A moment later, the sparkles had faded, and she gasped.

It was as if someone had taken the little dress she had loved so much as a child, and made it a million times better. It was still light green, like she so fondly remembered, with a dark green peplum over it. Dark green lace lines the bottom, and pink roses accented the peplum. The wrapped off-the-shoulder sleeves were also dark green, a small rose in the middle, the bodice also pale green. On her feet, she noticed beautiful glass slippers, a small glass rose on the tips of the shoes.

Her hair was down, for the first time since she could remember, and she felt something in her hair. Delicately, she touched small, glass roses, strung together with a string of small white beads. A floral crown, made with beads instead of vines, glass roses instead of real, but still... the sentiment was touching.

"How did you know?" she asked. Blue grinned, tucking her wand away.

"I'm your fairy godsister. I know these things." Blue grinned, gesturing towards the carriage.

"It's like a dream." Yellow sighed, stepping into the carriage after Blue.

"Yes, but dreams only last for so long." Blue sighed, crossing her arms. "You'll have only till midnight-"

"Midnight?" Yellow asked as the carriage began moving. "Oh, thank you."

"Hey, listen, Yellow." Blue said, reaching for her hands. "You'll have only till midnight. Once it becomes midnight, the spell will break. The carriage will become a pumpkin, your friends will become fairies again, and this gown will be gone. Are you okay with that?"

"Of course!" Yellow beamed. "You gave me one night for me to enjoy. Thank you so much for that!"

Blue blinked, then smiled.

"I knew I made the right choice, being the fairy godsister for you."

o.0.o.0.o

Prince Red was not happy at all.

He had a rather large blow up with his father after he had gotten home, in which it somehow ended with him having to dance and converse with every young lady who attended the ball. On top of that, he nearly had to order Pika, his pikachu, to shock his wardrobe designer to allow him to wear Yellow's pushpin, which he succeeded, even though the small bronze pin looked a bit off on his fancy clothes, he didn't care. His father was doing this on purpose and he, in response, was going to be absolutely miserable about every little thing.

After the last dance, he purposefully yawned, glancing up at his father, sitting on his throne with Green, his most trusted advisor and talented swordsmen, stood faithfully at his side. He shot a glare at his 'friend'. Traitor. Some of these girls were weird! Green whispered something to the king, and the king raised his hand, indicating that other couples had permission to dance on the floor.

"Finally." Red muttered, going into the crowd to try to find Black and White. He quickly tracked the two down, Black pestering Green to teach him better sword skills. "Hey. Any sign of Yellow yet?"

"Not from what I can see." White said, sounding worried.

"Ugh, but guess who I do see." Black muttered, nodding over to Agatha, Lorelei, and Karen, all of which were staring at Red. Red shuddered, and ignored them.

"Your father is going to go mad if you don't find one girl to talk to for longer than a single dance." Green warned. Red crossed his arms stubbornly.

"I don't care. This is stupid and pointless." Red sighed.

"You better face it, Red." White sighed. "I don't think she's coming."

"Seriously, Red," Green said, nodding to his father, who's face was going red from rage. "Just pick a girl and try to find something nice about her."

"Fine." Red huffed, going over the crowd of women. He didn't even care at this point. He'd go for a girl who had blond hair like Yellow, if that's what it took...

He widened his eyes for a moment, spotting a flicker of blond hair. He blinked, seeing a young lady with long, golden blond hair wearing a green dress, glass flowers woven into her hair like a crown. She was talking to a brunette with a blue dress.

"Hey Green." Red muttered to his friend. "Who's that girl? The blond in the green dress?" Green blinked at her.

"I honestly have no idea."

"You've never seen her before? In any of the courts or previous balls?"

"No."

"Maybe she's a princess from a faraway kingdom!" White said dreamily.

"Maybe." Red murmured, making his way across the dance floor.

o.0.o.0.o

"Oooh, cutie on sights!" Yellow heard Blue squeal under her breath. Yellow followed her gaze, and saw a rather serious-looking young man with spiky brown hair and piercing green eyes. "If you don't mind, Yellow, I'm going to go snatch him up before someone else does."

"Um, okay." Yellow said, raising her hand in a wave as her new friend began to cross the dance floor. She watched the other couples for a moment, trying to catch eye of White, Black, or Fire. As she turned, she felt someone grab at her hand. A gasp escaped her lips as she shook her hand free, turning to see a young man a little older than her with spiky black hair and bright red eyes. Eyes that reminded her of...

"Fire?" she whispered, seeing her uncles little pushpin on his shirt. Someone bumped into him all of a sudden, a woman Yellow recognized. It was Karen. She ducked her head down and backed away, not wanting to be recognized.

"I apologize, your highness." Karen said, fluttering her eyelashes. Yellow paused. Your highness? As in... As in the prince?

She paused, looking over at him. Prince Red... was Fire? She suddenly felt a wave of embarrassment fall over her. She... she treated him with such disrespect and... and gave him that dinky little pushpin! But... But he wanted to go by a different name and... and he wanted to talk to commoners like her, right? So maybe... maybe he wasn't appalled or enraged by her actions?

"Excuse me, Miss."

She smiled slightly. That was definitely Fire's voice.

"Your highness." she said politely.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, bowing. Yellow giggled slightly. It was so odd seeing him act so... so proper! She curtsied politely.

"Of course."

He gently took her hand and kissed her knuckles, leading her to the dance floor.

"The waltz!" she heard the king shout. "The waltz! Play the waltz!"

"I'm sorry." Red apologized as the music began playing. "He's been a little... high strung all night."

"It's fine, truly." Yellow smiled, glad that it was only a simple waltz. Even _she_ knew those dance steps. A few minutes into the waltz, Yellow heard familiar voices.

"But who is she Mother?"

"Do we know her?"

"Well the prince certainly seems to." a pause. "But I know I've never seen her."

"Now right, but she certainly is..." she felt a shiver got down her spine as she heart Agatha speak her next words. "Wait... There is something familiar about her..."

"U-Um, forgive me for my rudeness, but I heard the palace has the most splendid gardens." she said quietly, suddenly very much aware of everyone staring at her. Her face began heating up. "Could you... maybe show them to me?"

"Of course." Red smiled, waltzing to the edge of the dance floor.

She noticed him give a pointed nod to the green-eyed man, who was trying not to pay attention to Blue and failing. He nodded back and muttered something to the conductor. The conductor nodded, and ended the waltz, going into another song, giving other couples a chance to dance on the floor. Red escorted her off the floor, and edging their way outside.

"You blushed." Red said offhandedly.

"I... I'm sorry?" Yellow asked with a hint of questioning behind her voice.

"No, it's fine." Red smiled. "It's just rare to see a young lady blush when there's so much attention on them." he glanced at the gardens. "A lot of them are nobles and daughters of high standing. They're used to being complimented on every little thing. So as you can probably imagine..." he trailed off, looking back at her. "Blushing girls are a rare treat."

In response, Yellows face went red.

"Er... that pin. The one with a seaking on it. Where did you get it?"

"I got it from a very good friend." Red smiled. "She said she'd show up tonight, but I haven't seen her yet so I won't give up."

" _So he doesn't recognize me."_ Yellow thought. She didn't exactly expect him to. No doubt she looked insanely different from when she usually saw Red.

"What's she like?" Yellow asked, sitting beside him on a bench

"She's a beautiful person." Red said immediately. "She's kind and timid but no matter what, always has the grace and dignity of a princess, even though she's a servant in her own home."

"Even more grace and dignity than a princess?" Yellow mused thoughtfully.

"The most I've seen in any girl thus far, and I've met a lot of princesses." he paused. "She has this awful aunt and these horrible cousins, though she'll never say it outright." Red shrugged. "She says she never wants to impose whenever I invite her to stay with me, but I mean, come on." he gestured around him. "I'm literally living in a castle. I'm sure my father would adore her, and if she wants to work, we could always find something..."

"It sounds like..." Yellow paused, twiddling her thumbs. "It sounds like you love her."

"Love? Yellow? Please." Red shook his head. "She doesn't even know I'm the prince."

"But it doesn't sound like she would be angry if you told her." Yellow responded.

"I suppose."

"Hey, there you are!" Yellow snapped her head up and saw Blue running towards her. "We have to get going!"

"What?" Red asked. "Why?"

"It's nearly midnight!" Blue exclaimed. Yellow felt her face pale. "We need to go!"

"Um... It was lovely, Prince Red!" Yellow shouted over her shoulder. "Thank you!"

"Wait!" Red called after them as Blue dragged her through the ballroom. Blue nearly plowed down Green. He raised his eyebrows at her.

"I see you found your friend. Now-" Blue cut him off by pressing her lips to his.

"Thanks for the memory, Greeny!" she called over her shoulder, running down the stairway. Green stared after her in shock.

"You kissed him!" Yellow exclaimed.

"Yes! Best last minute decision I ever made!" Blue laughed. Yellow stumbled, and saw that her shoe was sitting on the ledge. "Leave it, we gotta move!" Following her advice, they continue until they piled into the carriage.

"Guards! Stop that coach!"

"They're seriously sending the guards after us?!" Blue exclaimed as the carriage sped off. She waved her wand a bit when the clock struck twelve, trying to keep her magic together, though Yellow could already see her dress returning to rags and Blue's wings sprouting up. "I'm sorry, Yellow..." Blue said, furrowing her brows. "I can't hold it together anymore...!"

Suddenly, Yellow found herself sitting on a pumpkin with Ruby, Sapphire, Platinum, Pearl, Diamond, and Topaz back to being tiny fairies. Blue was standing across from her, back in her fairy attire.

They heard the heavy sounds of rapidash hoofs, and the two girls ducked into the bushes, the fairies flying out of sight. The abandoned pumpkin was destroyed under the hooves of their pursuers.

"I'm sorry." Yellow turned to Blue. "I guess I just forgot about everything."

"Heh, I wonder if Greeny will remember me?" Blue pondered thoughtfully. Yellow giggled.

"I don't really see how he can forget." she stood up, though her balance felt... off.

"Hey, you still got one." Pearl said, pointing at the glass slipper. Yellow blinked, taking the shoe off, holding it delicately.

"Didn't expect that to happen." Blue said thoughtfully. "I guess the rules can bend just a little for some people."

o.0.o.0o

"Moooom!" Iri whined. "That wasn't actiony at all!"

"It will be better next time, I promise!"

"Moooom!"

"No complaining, Iri." V said, standing up. "Time for bed."

o.0.o.0.o

 **Is it horrible that the entire time I was writing this chapter, I was listening to the Nightcore remix of "Shut Up and Dance"?**

 ***briefly imagines song playing in the ballroom***

 **BRILLIANT.**

 **Is it odd that I thought I was writing Blue out of character? I couldn't put my finger on what it was, though.**

 **Anyways, Black and White are aware that Fire is Red and vice versa, while Yellow is oblivious because, well, sheltered life and... she's Yellow. ^.^**

 **So... I always wondered why no one ever recognized Cinderella in the actual movie(she was, like, the only blond in the whole damn kingdom), so I figured that she always had her hair down and must have been dirty from all her work. So, Yellow is always wearing rags, smudged with coal, and her hair is up, if we changed all that- cleaned her of dirt and coal, gave her a pretty dress, and let her hair down- would Red recognize her?**

 **Probably not.**

 **Sooo while writing this story, I was doing some research on the princess movies, and stumbled upon a lovely manga titled _Kilala Princess._ Oh my God, I don't care if you don't like manga, if you like disney princess's you are going to love this. It was so CUTE. It kind of had the feel of _Sailor_ _Moon_ for some reason. I suggest reading it, but it's only available online in english. There was never an english serialization!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	8. Cinder-Yellow Part 4

V sighed as she went through a mental checklist in her head. When her husband had said he had a surprise for their anniversary, she did not expect a trip on such short notice! Now she was in a mad rush to pack and find a babysitter for the kids. Thankfully, she had somehow managed to convince Ruby and Sapphire to take them in for a week.

"Mom..." she heard a timid voice call out. She turned and saw Celina in the doorway, hair in little braids and the storybook in hand. "You promised." Celina begged, holding out the storybook. V glanced up from packing her bags, staring at her eldest daughter. She seemed to falter under her gaze. "I... I know you wanna make sure you have everything for your trip, but please...?"

V smiled at her, ruffling her dark green hair, nearly undoing the careful braids the girl had done.

"Chin up, Celina. I did promise your brother it would be actiony." V said. "Go get your siblings."

Celina let out a happy squeal and ran out of the room. V zipped up the suitcase, prepared to settle onto the bed when the phone rang. Glancing at the door and hearing Celina and Aini arguing, she looked back at the phone.

"Hello?" she asked, answering it.

" _Hello."_

"Ruby!" she smiled. "Did Sapphire talk to you about taking the kids? It's a bit last minute, but you're all I can think of."

" _Um, about that..."_ Ruby trailed off, then swallowed. " _Well, we can't."_

"What? Why?!"

" _Well, I have a big contest tour in Kalos. Can you believe they don't have contests yet? They want major and important coordinators there to support the grand opening of their first official contest hall."_

"Dammit." V cursed, rubbing her temples. "Okay. Fine. I can think of something."

" _You sure you're okay? I could always decline..."_

"No. No, that won't be necessary." V said with a sigh. "I'm sure Amethyst is looking forward to it." she smiled, hoping the expression somehow reached through the phone.

" _I really am sorry. If my_ ** _wife_** _,"_ he said that word a bit louder than the others. ** _"_** _Would have informed me of matters before setting them, this wouldn't have happened."_

Faintly, V heard Sapphire yell something at Ruby. She chuckled at their silly antics.

"It's fine, really. I'll work something out."

" _... If you're sure. I'm really sorry."_

"It's fine. Have a nice trip, okay?"

" _Same to you."_

"Bye."

" _Bye."_

"Mama?" she blinked as she saw Iri walk through the door. "Aini and Celina are arguing again."

"Are they, now?" V smiled, picking the small boy up. "About romance stories?"

Iri nodded, giggling.

"It doesn't really make sense to me."

"Me niether." V shook her head, carrying him down the hall, where little voices were heard yelling at each other. "Come on, then. We'll stop that fighting and finish _Cinder-Yellow_."

o.0.o.0.o

 _Cinder-Yellow Part Four_

 ** _By the King,_**

 ** _A Proclamation-_**

 _All loyal subjects of his Imperial Majesty are hereby notified by royal proclamation that in regard to a certain glass slipper, it is upon this day decreed that a quest be instituted throughout the length and breadth of our domain. The sole and express purpose of said quest is as follows to wit: That every single maiden in our beloved Kingdom shall try upon her foot this aforementioned slipper of glass, and should one be found whose foot shall properly fit said slipper, such maiden will be acclaimed the object of this search and the one and only true love of his Royal Highness, our noble Prince Red. And said Royal Highness will humbly request the hand of said maiden in marriage to rule with him over the land as the Royal Princess and future Queen._

o.0.o.0.o

"Uh-oh." White murmured upon reading the poster. Black had an equally freaked out look on his face. "Red's not gonna be happy about this."

"He's going to flip his lid." Black responded. "If this doesn't send him over the edge, who know's what will."

"Wouldn't it be easier just to narrow the search down to all the blonds in the kingdom? Why try on a single shoe? That shoe could fit anyone!" White exclaimed, rubbing her temples. "Anyone could see the woman whom Red spent most his time with was clearly a blond!"

"With a brunette companion." Black added. "Plus he had a clear look at her face. No doubt that if we brought all the blonds in the kingdom together, had them try on the shoe, and it fit, then we could bring _those_ blonds before Red and have him choose!"

"And it was only a single dance, too!" White said, clearly exasperated. "So he danced with her for more than a single waltz. Big whoop! It's not like that's true love or anything! Why go through the trouble?"

"Because it's King Keun for you." Black sighed.

"I'll bet if Yellow came, they would have actually confessed." White pouted.

"Another one of your movie fantasies White." Black chuckled.

"Move it, you idle commoners!" someone hissed at them, rudely shoving them away. The two recognized the short figure of Agatha quickly, watching as she stared at the poster, then grinned, practically running through the streets. White and Black shared a glance.

"Do you think she's going to try to fit that slipper onto Lorelei or Karen's feet?" White asked. Black chuckled.

"Knowing her, she'll make them chop their toes off to get it to fit."

o.0.o.0.o

"Amarillo!" Agatha shouted, slamming the front door to her chateau closed. Agatha was, to say the least, angry when she came home that evening to find the tattered remains of what was her dress cleaned up, the house still intact, and Yellow happily humming as she swept up the last of the beads.

"Did you enjoy the dance?" she had asked.

"It was horrible." Karen spat.

"Some blond girl stole the prince and a brunette took the chief advisor." Lorelei huffed.

"Huh. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it." Yellow responded. "Do you want me to restring these, Lorelei?"

"Just throw them away." Lorelei spat.

Agatha found her mood to be a bit to chipper for her liking, but her disgust with Lance quickly overthrew that. How dare that man trick her! This house was supposed to be burning, Yellow's shrieks of terror echoing from the house.

"Amarillo!" she shouted again. "Where is that useless-"

"Yes, Aunt Agatha?" Agatha whipped her head around and saw her coming out of the kitchen, the faint smell of eggs and toast coming out behind her.

"My daughters." she snapped at her. "Where are they?"

"I-I believe they're still in bed." she said.

"Tch." she muttered, glancing up at their rooms. She snapped her gaze back to Yellow. "Well, don't just stand there!" she yelled at her, turning to go back up the stairs. "Bring up the breakfast trays at once!" out of the corner of her eye, Agatha saw Yellow staring up at her curiously. "And hurry!"

Then she scurried back into the kitchen like a frightened rattatta. That was better.

Agatha quickly climbed the stairs and yanked open Lorelei's door. She saw her eldest daughter sprawled out across the bed, books laying open here and there, glasses haphazardly laying on her face, a teddursa plush in her arm.

"Lorelei. Lorelei, get up!"

"Mwuh?" she grunted, sitting up and adjusting her glasses slightly. "Wha's goin' on?"

She squinted as the light assaulted her eyes, groaned, then turned over, covering her face with her blanket.

"Get up, Lorelei, we haven't a moment to loose!" she said frantically, moving on to Karen's room. She began shaking her awake, demanding that she wake up.

"Why?" Karen asked with a yawn. "What for?"

"Everyone's talking about it." Agatha exclaimed, opening her curtains as well. "The whole kingdom! Oh, hurry now, he'll be here any minute!"

"Who will?" Lorelei asked, coming into the room still half asleep.

"The chief advisor, Green Oak!" Agatha exclaimed. "He's been hunting all night."

"Hunting?" Karen murmured, blinking her eyes.

"For that girl!" Agatha spat. "The one who lost her slipper at the ball last night! They say he's madly in love with her!"

"The advisor is?" blinked Lorelei.

"He's not that bad..." Karen muttered. "Almost as handsome as the prince..."

"Not the advisor, the prince! The prince is madly in love with that girl from the ball!"

At that point, Yellow had walked into the room with the breakfast trays. Upon hearing those words her eyes widened and her mouth was agape.

"T-The prince?" she whispered. Fire, no, _Red,_ he was... was in love with...?!

There was a crash of dishes and Yellow realized that she had dropped the trays. Agatha whirled around to look at her, horror visible on her face.

"You clumsy little fool!" she spat. "Clean that up! Then help my daughters dress."

"For what?" Karen yawned as Lorelei fell back on her bed. "He's in love with that girl, why even bother?" They both pulled the covers over their head, giving up.

"Now listen you two!" Agatha said, yanking the covers off of them. "There is still a chance one of you might get it."

"One of us?" they asked in union. "Why mother, what do you mean?"

"No one, not even the prince, knows who that girl is." Agatha explained. "The glass slipper is their only clue. Now, Green Oak has been ordered to try it on every girl in the kingdom. And if they find one whom the slipper fits, then by the kings command, that girl will marry the prince!"

"Marry the prince?!" they both exclaimed, suddenly full of energy, yelling at Yellow to fix their clothes. Yellow was standing there like a grinning fool, a dreamy, faraway look in her eyes. Red wanted to marry the girl who fit the slipper. Her slipper. It didn't matter how heavy the load in her arms got, she felt light as air.

"Wh-What's the matter with her?!" exclaimed Lorelei, seeing as Yellow had barely moved, her expression hardly changing.

"Wake up, stupid!" Karen practically hissed. "We've gotta get dressed!"

"Dressed..." Yellow trailed off, looking down at her old dress. "Oh, yes." she gently passed the clothes into Lorelei's arms, turning and walking out the door. "I-It wouldn't do to have Sir Green see me like this, would it?"

Agatha and Lorelei glanced at the door after her.

"Mother, did you see what she did?!" she exclaimed.

"Amarillo." Agatha said, narrowing her eyes. "Is that Karen's ribbon?"

"Hmm?" Yellow turned, touching the ribbon holding her hair up. "Is it? I hardly noticed." She undid the ribbon, letting her hair tumble down her shoulders, passing it back to her. Yellow hardly cared at the odd request for the ribbon, simply followed orders. She felt like she was walking on air.

She was a girl in love.

"Guys!" she laughed upon opening the door. "It's so great!"

"Meh?" Topaz blinked, still tired from their late night escapade. "If it's anotha thing about that *bleep* prince 'o yours, I'm gonna *bleep*ing gouge your eyes out."

"But it's important!" Yellow exclaimed.

"Wake up, Topaz, she sounds excited." Opal grinned, fluttering in front of Yellow. "So we know that your mystery man in the market is actually a prince charming. What could be any better?"

"Well, you remember that slipper I lost last night?" she smiled. "Well, the king sent Green, his advisor, out to the kingdom to try it on every girl. And the girl who fits the shoe is the girl who the prince decided to marry!"

A moment of silence.

"Holy Ho-oh's." Ruby murmured. "Then why are we sitting idly?! Hurry, sit down, sit down! I may not be able to wave a magic wand like Blue, but I can make you look like a princess!"

"Or a normal commoner." Sapphire commented.

With all the excitement, everyone failed to notice Agatha in the doorway. It was when they heard a sudden click of a key turning that they looked at the door, only to see Agatha shove the key in her pocket and slam the door shut.

There was a long moment of silence before Yellow rushed to the door, tugging on the handle only to find it locked.

"No..." she murmured. "No, no, no, no...!" she began slamming on the wooden door with her fists. "Aunt Agatha, please! Let me out! Please!" her voice broke into sobs as she continued to beg. "You can't keep me here! _Please...!"_

Only Diamond and Pearl, returning from gathering breakfast, saw the elder woman shove the key in her pocket, callously ignoring Yellow's pleas.

o.0.o.0.o

"Lucifer." Agatha said as she exited from the attic room. The purugly lifted his head to his mistress, cocking his head as she poured an odd smelling liquid then lit a candle and set it on a small table. "Once we leave the house, knock that candle over. If you do so, I'll catch you all the fish you can eat." Lucifer's ears perked up at this, grinning. "I'll be waiting at the door for you."

Lucifer nodded, staring at the candle with the thought of a glorious dinner on his mind.

"Mother!" Agatha hurried to the sound of Karen's voice, seeing her frantically combing her fingers through her hair. "Mother, he's here!"

"The head advisor!" Lorelei exclaimed.

"Oh, do I look okay? I hope I look okay. I'm just so excited that I don't know what to do with myself-!"

"Even if one of us doesn't get the prince, maybe we could land Green Oak." Lorelei said, also glancing over her appearance in the mirror. "He's just as handsome..."

"Now remember," Agatha said, leading her daughters into the foyer. "This is your last chance, don't fail me." she turned to the door, taking a deep breath, then held her head high and opened the door wide. She saw Green climbing the steps to her door, a pillow in his hand and a glass slipper upon the pillow, two guards flanking him.

"Now announcing his imperial grace, Green Oak!" one said.

"You honor our home, good sir." Agatha said, bowing politely.

"I'm sure." Green stated stoically, sounding bored and tired.

"May I present my daughters," she gestured to Lorelei and Karen. "Lorelei and Karen."

Green watched as they fluttered their eyelashes, curtsying.

"Your grace." both said.

Green resisted the urge to shudder.

"Charmed." he stated.

"His grace will read the royal proclamation!" one guard said, holding up a scroll. Green glanced at it.

"Long story short, your daughters have to try on this shoe." he said, holding up said slipper and batting the scroll away, obviously tired of reading the same thing over and over again. "If-"

"Why that's _my_ slipper!" Lorelei exclaimed, cutting him off. Karen gasped.

"Well isn't that rich, it's my slipper!" she retorted.

"Excuse my younger sister, she hasn't the slightest idea what she's talking about." Lorelei stated.

"How could you stand there and deliberately lie...!"

Both lunged for the delicate shoe. Thankfully, Green sidestepped them both, and they ended up running into each other.

"Girls, girls," Agatha chuckled. "Your manners." She shot them both a venomous glare before turning back at Green, face kind. "A thousand pardons, your grace, please continue."

Green glared at them.

"As I was saying," Green continued. "If the shoe doesn't fit, the girl doesn't come before the prince." he glanced at them. "I'm sure they've already heard the news, so it shouldn't take to long to figure it out."

"You must be quite fatigued, your grace." Agatha smiled. "Shall we offer you some tea?"

"That won't be necessary." Green said. He honestly did not trust that this family didn't put some sort of sedative in the tea. That was the only way, he reasoned, that someone would want to be even remotely close to these three. "We must proceed with the fitting."

"Of course." Agatha waved to Karen. "Karen, dear." Karen pulled up a chair, smiling as Green stepped forward, sliding the shoe on her foot.

"There." Karen grinned. "I knew it was my slipper. Exactly my size." Green stared at her, pushing her foot up higher, revealing that the shoe barely fit her big toe. She blinked. "Er, my foot must have swelled up after all that dancing."

"Are you sure you're trying it on the right foot?" Agatha hissed.

"It's the right foot alright," Karen said. "It's just, sometimes glass isn't reliable-"

"It's not the glass, it's the fact that your toe is the size of a potato." Green stated, taking the slipper back. "Where's Loralee?"

"Lora _lei."_

"Whatever."

o.0.o.0.o

"Yellow! We're a-comin' Yellow!" Yellow blinked through her haze of tears. Topaz blinked, squeezing under the door.

"Well, *bleep*." Topaz said through the door. "It's Pearl and Dia! They've got the key!"

"How?!" Platinum exclaimed, squeezing out beside.

"Is it really true?" Yellow asked.

"Yeah, it's tr-" the words were cut off by a startled shriek. Yellow kneeled down to see under the crack, trying to see what was going on. She saw two paws with a bowl, and the light glows of orange, golden yellow, and pale blue. No lavender and no key, though.

"Platinum!" Yellow exclaimed, slamming her fists on the door in a futile attempt to help her friend. "Lucifer! Let her go!"

"Let her go, Lucifer!" she heard Dia yell, then a startled cry from Lucifer. "Let her go!"

A small thud.

"This means war!" Onyx exclaimed, flitting under the door with more of the fairies close behind. Chuchu was watching through the crack with Yellow, both trapped within the room and unable to get out. They watched as the purugly began slapping away all their attacks.

"This'll show you!" she heard Gold shout, and heard them dropping something on him. Rocks, maybe?

"Dody..." she said thoughtfully. "Pearl, Topaz!" she shouted. "Get Dody!"

o.0.o.0.o

"Of all the stupid idiots-!" Lorelei hissed, shoving Green away. "Get away from me, I'll do it myself." she grabbed the slipped, twisting it on her long foot. "I'll make it fit!" she grunted for a moment, then let out a strained sigh. "There." she held up her foot, the toes and heal shoved in, the rest of her foot arched awkwardly. "It fits."

"It fits!" Agatha smiled brightly. Green just stared at them.

"Stand up and walk." he said.

"What? That was never part of the deal!" Lorelei exclaimed.

"It doesn't matter. If it fits so well, then you shouldn't have a problem with walking in it."

Lorelai muttered something under her breath, standing up and taking a few odd, limping steps forward.

"See?" she said with a strained smile on her face. "No problem at all." she leaned against a nearby piece of furniture. Green rolled his eyes, kneeling down and lifting her skirt, seeing half her foot jutting out of the shoe.

"No, there is a problem." Green took the slipper back and stood up, glancing at the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of brown with two floating, glowing lights around it.

Was that a doduo?

Slowly, his gaze moved back to the three women.

"And you're the only ladies in the house?"

"There is no one else." Agatha said abruptly.

"Then good day." Green said, walking out the door and shutting it behind him.

o.0.o.0.o

Dody began to ferociously pecking at Lucifer, the purugly freaking out to the extent that, in order to get away from them, he threw himself down the stairs. Literally.

That didn't stop him from chasing him, though.

"Come on, Platinum!" Topaz exclaimed, smacking her face. "C'mon...!"

"I think she fainted." Diamond said gently.

"That doesn't *bleep*ing matter!" Topaz hissed, practically peeling the girl off the key and shoving her unconscious form into Diamond and, with Pearls help, shoved the key under the door. Yellow scrambled, hands shaking at the sheer thought of escape, realizing that this was probably the first time she's done anything against Agatha's orders since the day she saved Soul.

She wrenched open the door, cheers coming from her friends, Chuchu behind her every step.

Just as she reached the door leading to the main house, she gasped at the sheer heat that the doorknob gave off, seeing smoke filtering from under the door.

"Guys..." she exclaimed, backing up as she saw flashes of orange under the door. "Guys, someone set the house on fire!"

o.0.o.0.o

Prince Red was not in love.

In fact, he was far from love.

He was enraged.

The fight with his father was, to say the least, huge. He couldn't believe the nonsense spouting from his mouth. Marriage? The girl at the ball? Seeking her out? _Marriage_? It was utter insanity!

And on top of that, Green, the stupid traitor, was going along with it! Green probably didn't care enough to go against the kings orders, but honestly! Red hated getting backed into a corner, but his options were either marry the first girl that Green came across that was apparently wore a size four and a half or...

Or what? Find another person he wanted to marry?

"Crap." Red muttered, running a hand through his hair. He could hear his father happily humming a lullaby, as if already imagining little kids running about in the castle. He didn't care about that girl at the ball. The only reason she had his attention for a bit more than five minutes was because she reminded him of...

 _It sounds like you're in love with her._

"Holy Ho-oh." Red muttered, cutting himself off. The only reason he danced with the princess at the ball was because she reminded him of Yellow. Gently, he fingered the pin, dutifully placed over his heart. How could he have been so stupid?! He didn't care about the princess, about making her happy, about meeting her! He couldn't care less, and he didn't even realize the reason until now.

He didn't want to spend the rest of his life with some princess at the ball. He wanted to spend it with Yellow.

"Dad!" he yelled, whipping out the door. "I know the girl who I want to marry!"

"Haha, Red, I know you're trying to fool me!" his father laughed, patting him on the back.

"No, I'm serious! No joke!" Red bolted past his father, eager to get to the little chateau on the hill.

"Red?! Red wait!"

He heard his father running down the stairs after him, suddenly cutting him off.

"Red, you agreed to marry the girl in the glass slipper." he said, holding his arms out on the stair landing. "I completely agreed with you on this one!"

"Dad, I only agreed to that because you were forcing me into a corner." Red stated simply. "I need to go find Yellow-"

"Yellow?!"

"A servant girl who lives in the chateau on the hill."

"Servant girl? Chateau? How did you meet her, dare I ask?!"

"I snuck out."

" _WHAT?!"_

"Dad, please move!"

"No!" he exclaimed, holding his arms out. "I forbid you to take another step down these stairs!"

Red stared at him, then glanced at the window, seeing convenient vines growing over the ledge, obviously not having been trimmed in a while.

"Okay." he said simply with a grin, then leapt out the window.

" _GYAH!_ Son! Come back! We'll find the girl! We'll find you a doctor! We'll make things right!" Red smirked as he continued down the vines, letting out a loud whistle.

"Aero!" he called for the Aerodactyl. The loyal pokémon swooped down, grabbing Red by the shoulders and whipping into the air.

"Guards! Stop Red! Stop my son! By Arceus, he's gone completely mad!" he heard his father yell as they whipped into the air.

"I'm coming, Yellow!"

o.0.o.0.o

"Stop the carriage! Stop!" Blue shouted, frantically waving her arms over her head in front of Greens coach. That shaymin-headed idiot, how could he leave...!

"You?!"

She let out a small sigh of relief at being recognized, Green climbing from the carriage to speak to her.

"You! You're that girl who-"

"Kissed you? Yes. Was with the mysterious girl in the green dress? Yes. What's my name? Blue. Where have I been all your life? Stuck training to be a good fairy godsister. Any other questions?"

"W... What?"

"Stupid question." Blue huffed. "We need to go back to the chateau. You forgot Yellow."

"Yellow?"

"The servant girl? Love of Red's life? Girl at the ball? Arceus, aren't you chief advisor? You're supposed to be smart!"

"I am smart." he responded.

"Then turn the carriage around and-"

She was cut off by the shriek of a pokémon. Both looked up, and saw an Aerodactyl flash over them, carrying a person.

"Red?!" Green exclaimed, whipping around to follow the figure. "What is he...?"

"Aw, the loverboy is going after his princess!" Blue clapped. "He finally realized it! This is turning out so much better than expected!" she turned to Green. "C'mon, smarty pants, we've gotta proposal to witness!" Green blinked as she pulled a... a silver stick? She waved it around a bit. "Bibbidi, bobbidi, blue!"

And then there was a really, really weird feeling. almost like he was dissolving, when he suddenly reappeared surrounded by smoke.

"What did you do, you pesky woman?!" Green exclaimed between hacks.

"Oh dear, this isn't how it happened in the original story!" Blue exclaimed, glancing around at the smoke filtering through the room. "Um... uh...?"

"Don't stand there like a slack-jawed village fool!" Green hissed, grabbing her arm and dragging her out. They practically stumbled down the steps out of the burning building.

"Green?!"

"Red?" Green glanced up and saw Red land in front of them, looking a bit bewildered and panicked.

"What happened?!"

"If I knew, don't you think I'd tell you?"

"Good point." Red muttered.

"Blue! Thank Arceus you're here!" both Green and Red blinked at a little glowing, crystal blue light.

"Crystal!" Blue immediately responded. Green and Red squinted, seeing that the glowing light was actually the outline of a girl with wings. A fairy? "What happened? What's going on?!"

"Someone set the house on fire!" Crystal explained frantically. "Carnelian said he saw Agatha rushing away in her carriage with Lorelei and Karen!"

"Where's the rest of your grove?" Blue asked. Crystal pointed, and they saw a large group of glowing lights- no, fairies- struggling to carry a basket of some sort. Blue rushed to it, flicking it open. "What is this?" she asked, seeing nothing but what looked like a spellbook, an old doll, a slightly charred sketchbook and...

"A glass slipper?" Green asked, glancing through the items.

"Those are Yellow's most precious treasures." Opal explained. "She... She told us..."

"You guys, don't you dare tell me Yellow is still in there." Blue said, voice suddenly becoming serious. No one said a word.

Red bolted for the front door. He whipped his head back and forth through the smokey interior, cursing his rash stupidity, knowing he wouldn't find Yellow since he had no idea where she was an she might already be incapacitated.

"Heya, boy! She's upstairs! Go upstairs!"

He blinked at the mans voice, but didn't question it, assuming that it was simply a fairy who followed him in.

He bolted up the stairs.

o.0.o.0.o

Yellow backed away from the door after she shoved a blanket over the crack, trying to keep the smoke from filtering in. If only her room wasn't in the attic!

She kneeled down by the window, trying to get as much fresh air as possible. Was this how she was going to die? Alone in a burning attic?

She wanted to feel sad or to cry, but oddly enough, she felt... relieved. What was so bad about dying? Her mother and father were on the other side, as was her dear Uncle Wilton. She'd get to see them again. Agatha and Lorelei and Karen would never be able to hurt her again.

And really, who would miss her? Certainly not Red. He was searching for a princess. How would he react if a servant girl was brought before him? No doubt he was her friend out of pity. The grove pitied her, White pitied her, Black pitied her, Red pitied her. No one would want her and she knew it. She was only good for cooking and cleaning.

She sighed, leaning her head back. At least, she decided, she had one happy night. She wasn't a servant. She wasn't Cinder-Yellow. She wasn't being ordered around. She was a princess and she was happy with that.

" _Yellow, that's quittin' attitude!"_

Yellow blinked in surprise. What...?

" _There's always something worth fighting for!"_

U-Uncle Wilton...?

 _"Stand up! C'mon, Yellow, you can do it!"_

If Yellow wasn't so freaked out, she would have laughed. Unsure if it was some delirious hallucination with death nearing or her dearly departed uncle was really speaking to her beyond the grave, she stood and walked to the door.

" _That's it, Sprout!"_

She kicked the sheets aside and wrenched open the door, only to come face to face with Red. He blinked at her. She blinked back.

"Impeccable timing, huh?" he stated.

"Red?!"

"Yep."

"What are you... Why are you here?!"

"Well, initially to propse." Yellow gaped at him as her face went red. "But then this became an impromptu rescue mission." he smiled, taking her hand. "C'mon!" he turned to drag her down the stairs, only to see that half of the rickety steps had collapsed due to the scorching flames. Red let out a grunt of annoyance, shoving her back into her room.

"What are we going to do?!" Yellow exclaimed as the smoke began to fill up the room. Red glanced around, trying to come up with a plan. The only means of escape was a small window...

"Aero!" he called, whistling loudly. "Take Down! Yellow, take cover!"

Yellow nodded, ducking behind her bed with Red quickly joining her. For a moment, there was nothing but silence. A silence that was suddenly shattered by a roar and then a ear-shattering crash. Red had his arms around her as the house shook, both with their eyes squeezed shut. Once the rumbling ceased, and both peaked out, seeing Aero flapping his wings, dutifully waiting for his master to climb on.

"Good job, Aero!" Red grinned, scrambling over the ruble and lifting Yellow up.

"Will he be able to hold two people?" Yellow asked as she watched the pokémon clamp his claws around Red's shoulders.

"No idea." Red said as Aero seemed to prepare himself. "But you're so small, I'm sure he won't have trouble!"

Yellow didn't feel much comfort from that, but went along with it, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly as they lifted into the air. With ease, much to her relief, Aero drifted down where Blue has summoned a Blastoise from who knows where, trying to put the fire out.

"You got her out!" Diamond exclaimed.

"Oh, thank Arceus." Platinum sighed. Red smiled, setting Yellow down and stepping back.

"Well, time to ask what I came here to ask." he said, taking Yellow's hand and getting on one knee. "Yellow, will you marry me?"

Yellow swore that if it wasn't for gravity, she would have floated away at that point.

"Yes." she nodded with a bright grin that nearly rivaled the sun.

A pause. Then Red facepalmed. Yellow cocked her head.

"Red? What's wrong?" she asked, kneeling down in front of him. Red glanced at her, his expression a mix of embarrassment and almost childlike guilt.

"In all the excitement, I forgot to get a ring."

o.0.o.0.o

"Later that day, Red got Yellow a ring. The fairies moved their grove once again, this time to the castle. Blue decided to stay as well, constantly trying to see how far she can push Green with her magical pranks or mischievous personality, trying to see which he would succumb to first. Agatha and her two daughters never came back to the town, but it is highly suspected that Agatha was responsible for the fire. Much to King Kuen's delight, the prince and his new bride later had two children, a boy named Orange and a little girl named Amber." V smiled. "And they lived happily ever after."

"Did it actually happen like that?" Aini asked. V cocked her head.

"What did?"

"Did Red actually forget the ring?"

V blinked, then chuckled.

"Yeah."

"What an idiot." Celina laughed. "But at least it worked out."

"Yes, it did." V smiled, standing up. "Time for bed you three, okay?"

With almost no complaining, the three got up and went to their respective rooms. V waited about a half hour before determining the three were absolutely, positively asleep until she went back to her room, beginning to flip through her address book, trying to figure out who would be willing to babysit her kids on such short notice.

It had to be someone in Hoenn, and grandparents were out of the picture. And Sapphire and Ruby couldn't babysit, and all the other dexholders were out of the country. Running a hand down her face, she continued flicking through the book, suddenly finding a name.

 _Starlight Sūta._

She remembered her. Apparently her parents were close with Ruby's parents, and the whole family got invited to his and Sapphire wedding. V recalled that she was a pretty woman with long, wavy black hair. She sat beside a rather grumpy-looking man with light purple hair and a small girl, four at the time, wearing a yellow pikachu hoodie despite the occasion. They were her husband and child, Eclipse and... Eon? There was something before that but she couldn't quite remember what it was. Around her was a large family- an older couple, obviously the parents and an older woman about three years Starlight's senior, a sister named Millenium, and two younger sisters six years her junior, twins named Sunny and Luna.

They had exchanged numbers because they had gotten along mutually, Celina and Eon hitting it off immediately. Both, coincidentally, were cripplingly shy in public, and both, as mothers, were ecstatic that their children seemed to have found a friend. If it weren't for the fact that she lived in Verdanturf Town and they in Petalburg, V was sure they'd be setting their daughters up for playdates every other day.

"I haven't called her in a while." she murmured, picking up the phone and dialing.

" _Hello?"_

"Hey, Starlight."

o.0.o.0.o

 **Oh Blue, don't break the fourth wall, okay?**

 **Anyways, yeah. The part about the housefire is actually derived from a Cinderella ending where there wasn't actually a happily ever after. Apparently, there was an ending where Cinderella got burned at the stake for witchcraft.**

 **Yeah. Bet ya'll didn't know that.**

 **CHILDHOODS RUINED.**

 **Anyways, next story I'm going a bit off track on the voting. See, KiwiWizard recently published _PokéSouls Academy_ about two weeks ago. In celebration of the new publication, the next story will be an OC fic about my two OC's I submitted for _Pokésouls,_ Starlight and Eclipse. If you don't want to read it, that's fine, you can wait until the next installment, which WILL be SoulSilvershipping.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	9. Starlight and the Kidnapper Part 1

**_A/N: THIS IS AN OC STORY. IF THIS DOES NOT APPEAL TO YOU, PLEASE WAIT UNTIL CHAPTER 13 IS PUBLISHED. THANK YOU AN ENJOY! ^.^_**

"I can't thank you enough enough for this." V said, holding Starlights hands. "Even on such short notice..."

"Oh, it's fine." she rolled her dark violet eyes, smiling. "Nysa-Eon gets lonely and she was so excited to have Celina."

"I'm glad she remembered her." V sighed.

"Seems you've been busy though." Starlight said, watching as Aini chased Iri through the living room. "A little boy too? And last I saw Aini, she was only two!"

"Aini, Iri! Behave!" V scolded lightly as they nearly knocked over a lamp on a table. They chirped an apology, then continued running around. "Are you sure Eclipse is okay with this?"

"He'll deal with it." Starlight said with her hands on her hips. They both heard the cry of a honchcrow outside. "Well speak of the devil, guess who's home." Starlight said, glancing out the window then turning back to V. "I'd get going before Eclipse makes you carry your kids home."

"Heh, yeah." V said, glancing at the window and seeing it had gone dark out. "My husbands probably worried." she turned. "Kids! I'm leaving!"

Cue the rumble of little footsteps. The three children all appeared, donned in their pajama's, Nysa-Eon shyly peeking around the corner in her nightgown and pikachu hoodie, amber eyes curious. When V met her gaze, she squeaked, and hid behind the corner.

"Bye, Mama!" Iri said, hugging her legs.

"Safe trip!" Celina wished. Aini stood off to the side with her arms crossed, pale blue eyes shaded with her bangs.

"Aini?" V asked.

"I'm not crying!" she snapped. V rolled her eyes, giving her a pat on the head, then hugging her.

"Be good for Starlight, okay?"

Aini nodded, wiping her eyes as V waved goodbye, walking out the door. They barely heard the sounds of her Altaria and their fathers Archeops as they flew away.

Just as she left, a man with light purple hair walked in, one eye black and the other covered with an eyepatch. He glanced at the door, then back to Starlight.

"Who was that?" he asked. He glanced at the three kids in the foyer. "Who are these kids?"

Starlight rolled her eyes. "This is Celina, Aini, and Iri." she pointed to each one with their names. Eclipse narrowed his eye at Celina.

"You're the girl who played with Eon." Eclipse stated. Celina nodded shyly.

"Hi." she said.

"Daddy!" Nysa-Eon suddenly burst into the room, latching her arms around Eclipse, her pikachu hoodie falling down, revealing a head of short, raven purple hair. A flabébé drifted behind her. "Hi!"

"Hey, Eon." his cold look suddenly going warm. "Having friends over?"

"Yeah." she nodded, stepping back and pulling her hoodie up.

"They're staying for a couple days."

"Days?" Eclipse asked.

"Yeah, as a favor for their mother. She never really gets out much, so I assumed I'd help out."

"You always _assume_ things, Star."

"Well, she really needed help! She couldn't find another babysitter!" Starlight defended vehemently. Eclipse sighed.

"I never said it was a bad idea." he glanced at the four kids, Celina having dragged Nysa-Eon back to a checkers game. "Just... discuss it with me next time."

"It was last minute." Starlight replied. Eclipse simply sighed, shaking his head at her attitude.

"Miss Starlight?" she blinked at Iri, holding a large book in his hands. "Celina's to shy to ask for a story."

"A story?" Starlight asked. Iri nodded.

"Mama tells us really good stories! She told us _Beauty and the Beast_ and _Cinderella_ , but... it was different!"

"Different?"

"She replaced Belle with Blue and the Beast with Green and called it _The Monster and the Thief_!" Celina suddenly exclaimed. "And Cinderella with Yellow and Prince Charming with Red! She called that one _Cinder-Yellow!"_

"That was a stupid name." she heard Aini yell.

"No it wasn't!" Celina cried back. "It was really, really romantic!"

Starlight almost immediately caught on, taking the large book and smiling.

"Nysa-Eon!" she exclaimed, shouting up the stairs. "I'm going to tell you all the story of how your father and I met!"

The little girl practically flew down the stairs.

o.0.o.0.o

 _Starlight and the Kidnapper_

 _Once upon a Pokéball_ , in deep winter, there was an army of seemingly emotionless soldiers standing on the edge of a kingdom. This looming threat called for the king to battle, and as he and his army of men and pokémon surged into the army, they hardly fought back, simply stared straight ahead with a stoic expressions on their faces, no matter how many fatal blows were dealt.

Needless to say, the blank-faced army was defeated quickly.

"Why would they not fight back?" one soldier wondered, nudging one of the dead soldiers with his foot. The king shook his head.

"All that matters is that the threat is gone."

"Sire!" someone shouted. The king turned to see three soldiers standing around a barred carriage, obviously used for prisoners. "They have a prisoner." The king glanced at his other soldiers, then signaled for them to open the carriage. Forcing the chains apart with their weapons.

Once the doors creaked open, the king glanced about, only seeing a pile of rags. Squinting his eyes, he opened the door wider, and saw a small, dirtied and scratched foot with shackles around the ankle flinch away from the light, as if afraid that it would burn. The king blinked, seeing small hands done up in chains peeking from beneath the rags. Slowly, he reached out and pulled the cloth off, revealing a young, ten-year-old tan-skinned boy with matted and greasy black hair falling to his shoulders, blue eyes flicking nervously around at the new faces. It was obvious from his clothes and lack of shoes that he came from a poorer village, maybe even the ghetto.

"A boy...?" the king murmured. "What would an army want with a small boy?" he glanced at him again, and saw a Drowzee with a chain around it's neck, standing protectively in front of the boy.

It suddenly clicked in the kings mind. The boy was a pokésoul.

In this world, there are beings called pokésouls. It is an odd occurrence in which a human infant is born at the exact same time a pokémon hatches. They share a mind, powers, and have an unbreakable bond made at birth. Being without the other is often described as being incomplete, a half needing to find it's other to be a whole.

Considering that this child was a pokésoul, the king understood why an army would take him captive. Any sort of pokésoul was useful to any army due to their powers.

"You don't need to fear us, lad." the king said gently. "Were you kidnapped?"

He nodded, not daring to speak.

"Where are your parents?"

"My mother died of the plague and my father was hung for witchcraft." he said.

Immediately the king felt bad for the boy. He would have thought that, by now, death penalties for magic would have been old news, a forgotten piece of history. Apparently not.

"Your name?"

"Razan." he muttered, bowing his head. "That's Drowzee."

Said pokémon hummed it's name.

The king kept his gaze on the boy. The poor child probably had no where else to go, and he's always wanted a child of his own...

"Worry not, Razan." the king said, waving for one of his soldiers to find the keys. "I will take you home and raise you as if you were my own."

o.0.o.0.o

At nearly the same time, a woman admiring the fallen snow in her village. She wasn't a queen or a noble, but rather, the wife of a baker. She was taking a little stroll through the town when she saw a rose blooming in defiance of the cold. Marveled by its violet color, she reached out to pluck the rose, knowing her three-year-old daughter at home would be just as amazed by the color.

As reached for the stem, she pricked her finger on the thorns, causing three small drops of blood to fall to the white snow below her feet.

Bringing the finger do her lips, the woman glanced at the rose again.

"If only," she murmured, finally plucking the rose from her stem. "I had a second daughter as beautiful as my first and just as strong as this rose."

Just as she had wished, a young baby girl was born that year, taking after traits almost exactly like her elder sister, Millennium, with raven black hair and bright violet eyes, but a shade lighter than her sister's. Named after the stars that twinkled overhead on the night of her birth, the baby was named Starlight.

But Starlight was not simply known for being beautiful. She was also well known for being a Pokésoul. When a Ralts appeared at their doorstep one day, the connection could almost immediately be seen between the toddler and the pokémon.

The next few years were wonderful for Starlight and her family. Their bakery flourished and a set of twins were brought into the family, bearing the brown hair and hazel eyes of their father and being named Luna and Sunny. Starlight showed to be an exceptionally powerful Pokésoul, seeming to grow more lovely, like a rose, every year. And while her beauty and power seemed to flourish, the girl had a single flaw.

She was not, in any way, ambitious.

She didn't want to leave her home or see anything outside of the village, despite her astounding beauty and talent as a psychic pokésoul. One could say, even, that she was lazy.

Starlight Sūta had the ability to go far in life, but she simply chose the easy path of staying home and working in her father's bakery.

o.0.o.0.o

It had been six years since Razan was adopted by the king. His Drowzee had evolved into a Hypno, and his powers had become so strong that he could simply brainwash a person with a simple tap to the forehead, whereas before, it took him days upon days of concentration and laying immobile to control someone. Sure, pokésouls had an abundance of powers, but most concentrate on a single ability they could obtain. For example, a fire soul is able to summon fire, but they could work on manipulating the element or even _breathe_ fire, if they wanted to.

But as a psychic pokésoul, and with being able to bend the mind with enough effort, he decided to put his time into not only his shields, barriers, and attacks, but also on his brainwashing ability.

Which is exactly what he had to do to brainwash those townspeople all those years ago. True, he ended up sleeping for a duration of the fighting simply to keep his grip, but having them stand there like statues was easier than having them fight back.

He stared thoughtfully at the mirror in front of him.

"Shall we, Hypno?" he asked.

" _No one is stopping you."_ Hypno seemed to smirk. Razan stood in front of the mirror.

"Slave in the magic mirror," he chanted, summoning the enslaved spirit. "Come from the farthest space. Through wind and darkness, I summon thee! Speak! Let me see thy face."

A moment of silence.

" _That rhyme is so stupid._ " Hypno stated casually as flames appeared behind the glass.

"It's not my fault that's the only known way to summon the spirit." Razan scowled, watching as the fire faded, revealing the blank face of the trapped spirit.

"What would you like to know, milord?" the face asked.

"Who-"

"Uh-uh." the mirror chastised. "Rhyme."

Razan furrowed his brow in irritation.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the most powerful pokésoul of them all?" he said, not even bothering to hide his irritation.

A moment of silence.

"I see no one more powerful than you, milord." the mirror answered. Razan smirked.

"Good," he turned to Hypno. "Hypno, come. We've got some work to do."

o.0.o.0.o

"Star! Starlight!" the six-year-old looked up, seeing her older sister running towards her.

"Millie?" she asked, unable to say her full name. The nine-year-old steered her towards the house, dragging her inside the shop. It was pretty empty, as the rush hour had passed in the morning

"Mom! Dad!" Millennium cried out. "Something big happened in the capital!"

"What?" her father asked, not really paying much mind while taking out a tray of cookies and placing them on the counter to cool. After all, 'something big' could range from a friend going to visit or a new cookie available in the the bakers shop. As he turned his back, Starlight's childish instincts for sweets took over and she reached up for the tray, only to her her mother gently smack her hand away.

"Those are hot, Starlight." she chastised. "You can have one later, when they're cool."

"Mama, the King and Queen are dead!" Millennium blurted out.

A heavy silence fell over the room. Starlight didn't quite understand what was going on, so she reached up for the cookies again, only to burn her hand as the flesh came into contact with the hot pan. She cried out at the red welt growing on her hand, immediately beginning to cry.

Her mother kneeled down, pressing her lips to the welt in comfort for her daughter, then turned to her husband.

"Go out and see if a messenger is coming through." she said. Her husband nodded grimly, hurrying out of the shop as Starlight's mother continue to comfort her daughter.

o.0.o.0.o

"So it's really true..." Starlight listened to her mother trail off. The little girl had stayed up past her bedtime in order to sneak some more cookies, only to accidentally walk in on her mother and father having a conversation with each other at the dinner table, candlelight flickering on their faces.

" _Mommy and Daddy usually don't ever hide anything from us."_ Starlight thought, knowing full well that her Ralts in her arms could hear her in her mind.

 _"Sometimes adults don't wanna say stuff to little kids."_ Ralts responded knowingly.

"I don't really see the problem with it." Starlight listened, finding it funny that she thought the same thing, her father speaking this time. "If in the chance that the king died, the queen would rule over until she remarried. In the chance that both died, their child or nearest advisor would take over."

"But they have no children. And their advisor is but a crippled old man. He can't rule a kingdom."

"But there is Razan."

"The court isn't going to put him in power." her mother sighed. "You know what they think of him."

"They have to put him to power." her father sounded hopeful at that. "He's a smart lad. He comes from a poor village, and he know's what it's like to starve, to be sick without medicine. He knows the suffering common folk go through that nobility would never understand."

"But the fact that he may be a ghetto child is one of the bigger reason why the court doesn't want him in power."

Her father fell silent at that.

"He cares about poorer villages like our own." he whispered. "And if anything else, the king would have wanted him to be his successor should anything happen to him. With him in power, things wouldn't be so hard. The homeless population would go down. Kids wouldn't be starving in city streets."

"But we know how nobility feels about Pokésouls." her mother said quietly. "How they think they're monsters and unnatural, not deserving of basic human rights, how executions need to be done to remain 'normal'. Would they let a 'monster take the throne?"

"What's so bad about being a soul?" Starlight asked, coming in the doorway. Her father pushed his chair back, a cross look on his face.

"It's bad to eavesdrop, Starlight." he said sternly. Starlight bowed her head, Ralts with an equally guilty look, then glanced up again.

"Mommy, what's so bad about being a Pokésoul?" she asked again, recalling her mother saying 'monster'. "I'm not a monster because I don't hide under the beds, and I'm not ugly with horns and scales and a big potato nose!" she wiped her eyes with a fist as tears welled up. She didn't know why she was crying, but she suddenly felt it necessary to cry. "I'm not a monster because of that!" she paused. "Right?"

"Star..." her mother trailed off, hugging the child to comfort her. "Do you remember last year, when Razan came to our village with that nobles girl?"

Starlight nodded with a sour look, remembering the event quite clearly. The girl was very beautiful, dressed like a princess, standing with a kind smile on her face as the village children gathered around her, telling her things about them like how old they were or how many teeth they lost, letting them touch her expensive dress and look at her pretty jewelry. She even let some girls braid her golden hair.

"I'm five years old and I'm a Pokésoul!" she exclaimed proudly, her Ralts standing equally proud. Her words came out a little funny, what with her loosing her front teeth but a week earlier, but her message got across.

The noble stared at her for a really long time. Her kind smile slowly morphed into a very angry look, suddenly staring in disdain as Starlight happily felt the material of her skirt, trying to memorize the patterns.

Then the woman kicked her. Not a nudge to get her to back off, or an accidental leg spasm, but a full on kick to the stomach, forcing Starlight to the ground.

She heard a round of screams from the kids around her, parents gasping in alarm. Ralts was gripping her arm as she curled into a wailing ball, trying to figure out why she had been kicked.

"Shut up, you disrespectful brat!" the girl screeched, raising a fist, the rings on her fingers now looking less like pretty accessories and more like jeweled weapons.

Starlight shuddered, shaking off the memory.

"She was scary." Starlight whispered.

"Well, a lot of rich people don't like Pokésouls."

"Why?"

"Because they just don't." her mother said softly. Starlight blinked.

"I don't get it." she stated, pouting slightly.

"And you won't," her father shook his head. "Not until you're older."

Starlight pouted at that, then looked at her parents.

"I really like Prince Razan!" she said happily. "He's a psychic Pokésoul just like me! I hope he becomes king!"

o.0.o.0.o

In a years time, Razan did become king. While some people were happy with his reign, others were not. For three years into his reign, he had a certain someone assassinated. That certain someone was, like him, a psychic Pokésoul, a Musharna as her partner.

Not even her partner was left alive.

So as an eleven-year-old boy with lavender colored hair stood over the wreckage of his burned and smoldering home, an eyepatch over his right eye and a shiny zorua, that he essentially ignored, by his side, he clenched his small fists. He heard his father wailing over the burned corpses, covered by a sheet, and as much as he had disdain for the man, the cries sent pangs into his heart.

The boy began wheezing, each choked breath coming with a growing burning sensation behind his eyes.

He had heard that Razan was assassinating powerful psychic souls, but he never thought that his own mother would suddenly become a target for the young kings wrath.

Suddenly, tears fell from both his good, visible eye and his covered, cursed one.

"I curse the day you became king, Razan." he hissed, keeping his head bowed. "I will kill you and avenge my mother, or my names not Eclipse."

o.0.o.0.o

"Mom, why're you stopping?!" Nysa-Eon cried out in disdain. "This is better than the original! Keep going!"

"Because it's past your bedtime." Starlight said, shutting the book.

"I have a feeling this is going to be a lot better than the original _Snow White_." Iri whispered to Aini. Aini sat passive, seeming neither satisfied or unhappy with the story.

"Don't worry." Starlight grinned. "We'll tell the next part tomorrow."

o.0.o.0.o

 **I said in the last chapter that I was writing this, and a lot of you seemed to only catch Soulsilvershipping at the end...**

 **These are my OCs, Starlight and Eclipse, in celebration of KiwiWizards publication of _Pokésouls Academy._ Read _Pokésouls,_ as it's a really, really good story.**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	10. Starlight and the Kidnapper Part 2

" _I think they want something from you."_

 _"What?"_

 _"I don't know, do something though, the staring's getting creepy."_

Eclipse stared at the four pairs of eyes staring at him. His Zoroark was sitting beside his chair, talking telepathically as both staring at the three pairs of pale blue eyes, the youngest a shade grayer than his sisters, and bright amber covered by choppy bangs.

"What?" he finally asked, putting his laptop aside.

"Read us the next part of the story!" Nysa-Eon exclaimed, scrambling onto his lap and holding up the book. "Please Daddy! Tell it like Mommy did!"

Eclipse grunted something, setting his daughter on the knee and flicking through the book. Damn, this was an old thing. He glanced at the inside cover. Inside was two scribbled names, obviously done by children with a date, maybe when he had received it? Next to that was another date, a name written in choppy letters, maybe of that of a three-year-old, with the year 2020 next to it. Squinting his eyes, Eclipse could barely make out the name; _Celina._

"This was my Daddy's book." Celina grinned, gently putting her hands over the name. "And before that, he said that it belonged to his Mama!" she put her hands proudly on her hips. "He said the first born kid gets the book, and I'm the third to get it!"

"Quaint." he stated, now understanding. Celina had added her name to the book when she turned three, probably a little after Aini was born.

"Are you going to read it or what?" Aini spat. Eclipse shot her a glare, pointing his finger.

"Watch the tone, missy." he scolded. Aini snapped her mouth shut, stewing silently for a moment, before glancing back at him with a calmer look on her face.

"You gonna keep going?" Iri asked, cocking his head. Eclipse was silent for a moment, flipping to the story _Snow White._ He had been listening the night before to Starlight's retelling, and figured he could do a decent job at part two.

"Eight years passed since Eclipse's mother was assassinated by Razan's assassins. Starlight, now eighteen, had grown into a very beautiful young woman and powerful psychic pokésoul, even though her powers were _squandered,"_ he put emphasis on that word, recalling how lazy his wife was when he had first met her, way back when they were teenagers. "She lived a happy life in town, basically mooching off her parents, not paying mind to her powers or abilities. Every once in a while, people would come with family members or friends, begging her to break some spell put over said person. Little did Starlight know, she was breaking Razan's brainwashing.

"In his castle, Razan constantly consulted his magic mirror to see who was the strongest psychic pokésoul of them all. Now, it was pretty well suspected that Razan was carrying out the assassinations of these psychic souls, but no one dared to speak word of it or believe those who screamed it to the world, as Razan was a kind ruler to the poor villages, and provided medicine, food, and necessities to them. Starlight hardly realized that her power was growing and she was painting a target on her back, but so long as the mirror told Razan "No one is more powerful than you, milord.", then Starlight was safe from the kings wrath..."

o.0.o.0.o

 _Starlight and the Kidnapper, Part Two_

Razan angrily bored his eyes into the mirror on the wall.

Ever since he had become king a decade ago, Razan kept his title as 'strongest pokésoul' in his back pocket, safe and sound. He didn't really care much for the other Souls, as he could just brainwash them into becoming servants, but psychic souls were such a bother. Most of the time, they were hard to brainwash, if not immune to it, what with their partners constantly pulling them back to reality. He's even encountered some psychic souls who could figure out ways to break his brainwashing.

And that simply would not do.

Rare as it was, Razan was not about to take any chances with having a psychic soul pop up and overthrow his power. So he constantly consulted his magic mirror to see if there was anyone who was powerful enough to break his spell. He didn't need to assassinate anyone since that woman about eight years ago, but he had this sinking feeling for a couple months now.

And his damned magic mirror was being stubborn.

"Either tell me what I want to know, or so help me I will smash that mirror of yours."

"Please do!" the mirror responded. "Put me out of my misery!"

"Mirror..." Razan growled out.

"Geez, are you PMSing or something? Just say the damned rhyme and I'll tell you what you want." the mirror said. Razan narrowed his eyes.

" _You would be better off to just say it."_ Hypno said. Razan sighed, crossing his arms.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the most powerful psychic soul of them all?" he demanded. He watched as the eyes on the face in the mirror went blank, waiting for the words in which he always spoke.

"Famed is she for her beauty and power, but equally notorious for her lack of ambition. A maiden has come of age. She lives far away from the castle, in a little town, where she is sought out far and wide to break your spell. Yet, so ignorant is she that she hardly even knows that her powers steadily increase every day."

Razan smirked at her stupidity, temporarily overthrowing his worry of this girl. He had nothing to worry about! If he planned this correctly, he could have her disposed of in a few days.

"What does she look like?"

There was a pause.

"Hair black as ebony, eyes like those of amethysts, with skin of porcelain." Slowly, an image appeared, replacing the mirrors spiritual face, showing a young woman with long hair, wearing a dark violet dress. She was walking through the town with a Gardevoir at her side. "The lights that twinkle in the night sky her namesake."

And like that, the image slowly disappeared.

"You got her face, correct, Hypno?" Razan asked, glancing at his partner. The pokémon smirked.

" _Of course."_ a pause. " _The mirror didn't give us a location, though._ "

"Yes, but we could simply-" Razan felt a sudden jolt go down his spine, cutting his train of thought short. Slowly, he turned his head towards the door, narrowing his eyes.

" _Someone's out there."_ he said in his head. Hypno simply nodded, watching as Razan took steps across the room so quiet that Hypno doubted that pokémon with the best hearing could catch onto them.

Razan wrenched the door open, seeing no one. He stuck his head out, glancing down the hall, only to hear the sound of frantic footsteps and see the flash of a skirt.

"Guards!" he roared, several guards suddenly appearing out of no where. "Seize that girl!"

The chase was fairly quick as the girl was quickly outmatched by the well trained guards. Before long, the guards were dragging back a young woman with dark blue hair in gravity defying pigtails. She was glaring at them, eyes cold and reminding him of crystal, though he caught the faintest hints of underlying fear in the orbs, afraid of what was to come. Razan simply stood, practically towering over her hunched form, studying the maid.

"It's rude to eavesdrop on your superiors, young lady." he stated casually. The girl barely moved, not even blinking.

" _What should we do?"_ Hypno asked. " _Nightmares?"_

 _"I don't see the point in that."_ Razan responded. A sudden idea popped into his head. This Starlight girl was catching the attention of people wanting to help those being brainwashed. He knew full well that no one would willingly give up her location as she was apparently such an _asset._ He also had an inkling that rebel forces have infiltrated his castle, and this girl had to be connected to them. If not, they will feel so bad for the girl they'll seek out the girl just to help her. So maybe if he simply...

" _That's perfect, Razan."_ Hypno smirked.

"Someone secure her head." he ordered. One of the guards clamped his hand on her head, keeping it in a vice like grip so that she would be unable to move. She let out a terrified gasp, the first sound she made thus far, as Razan stood off to the side, his Hypno, eyes glowing blue, swinging his pendulum back and forth... back and forth... back and forth...

o.0.o.0.o

"Crys!" Gold called, grinning at his pigtailed wife. She continued walking, as if not hearing him. "Super Serious Gal?" he tried again, catching up to her and grabbing her shoulder. "Crystal!"

"Good evening, friend!" she exclaimed, finally responding with a bright grin on her face. "Isn't today glorious?"

"Uh..." Gold didn't know how to respond to that, exactly. Usually she always responded to him when he called her by one of her nicknames, and she was, essentially, a worrywart who probably would describe the current time as being anything but 'glorious'. Now that he really thought about it, he never, ever recalled Crystal calling _anything_ glorious. And her cheerfully greeting him as friend? She'd rather call him idiot or something along the lines, despite the fact they were married. "Okay, then. Were you practicing alchemy with some strange mushrooms or something?"

"Oh, no, friend!" she grinned. "I'm just basking in the wondrous joy of working under our great king, Razan!"

Yep, something happened.

"Okay, then, Crystal..." he trailed off, unsure if she would respond to anything other than her full name. "Um, lets go talk to some people."

"More friends?!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah." Gold muttered, now officially creeped out. "More friends, Crystal."

"Oh, joyous day!" she clapped her hands, hardly phased as he took her hand and began to lead her down the hallways. Yep, she definitely wasn't Crystal. She would've kicked him upside the head by now. It didn't take long to get to the medical wing, seeing their friend, Yellow, happily flicking through medical books, practicing her herbal remedies.

"Yellow, we've got a problem." Gold said, approaching her. Yellow blinked, shutting the book and standing.

"Did you drink to much again, Gold?" she asked. Gold glared at her for the accusation.

"That was once!" he exclaimed. Yellow stared flatly at him. "Okay, maybe five times, but don't bring it up!" Yellow giggled.

"So what's the problem?"

"Crystal," Gold stepped aside, allowing Crystal to look at Yellow. "This is your friend, Yellow."

"Good evening, friend!" she chirped. "Isn't today glorious?"

Yellow sat there gaping for a good ten seconds before she regained her composure and turned to Gold.

"Razan brainwashed her." she stated simply. "I've seen it before from some of the guards that Red's brought in."

"So how do we fix it?" Gold asked frantically.

" _We_ can't." Yellow said, shaking her head. "We need to find another psychic pokésoul to break the spell."

"Are you _kidding?"_ Gold exclaimed. "Razan killed all the ones worth *bleep*, you know that!"

"Not entirely." Yellow said gently, holding up a letter. "Look at what I got from Ruby."

Gold took the letter, unfolding the paper and seeing an odd mix of letters making up 'words' that make no sense at all. But he knew it was a code that the resistance had set up. His eyes flew over the paper, his worried expression suddenly becoming that of hope.

"His hometown?" he asked, glancing at Yellow to confirm it. She nodded.

"Straight from the lips of Blue."

Gold figured the information had to have been pretty legit at that point. When it came to finding information, Blue was the best.

"When do you plan to leave?" Yellow asked.

"Tonight." Gold said. "I'm not going to risk this. I'm afraid that the longer that Crys is like this, the less likely we are to get her back completely. Or at least..." he glanced at the young woman, still standing off to the side, grinning like an idiot. "With her sanity still intact."

"That's probably for the best." Yellow said. "I'll send word to Red."

o.0.o.0.o

Razan smirked into the mirror, watching the hazy image of Gold, Crystal, and Yellow fade out.

"So do you want us to kill them or what?" the snarky voice of a girl said from beside him. Though her short stature and young age of fourteen(and a half) may seem innocent to some people, they were not to underestimate the notorious Sky Mayfly. Like him, she was also a pokésoul, only her partner was a bug type, a Scyther named Locke. Her occupation? An assassin.

Now one could be wondering, what kind of parents would allow their young girl to become an assassin at such a young age? Sky didn't know, as she was without parents. She didn't know if they were killed or she was abandoned, but she honestly didn't care. She had Locke and Locke was all she needed.

That, and Lucinda.

Lucinda was quite the contrast, height wise, to her young companion. She stood at a full six feet, making her seem quite menacing when she stood at her full height. Unlike her witty, sarcastic compadre, who had some odd thing for assassination missions, she generally did anything for money. Need a lost pokémon to found? Done. Robbing a bride of her ring on her wedding day? Not a problem. She'll do anything for money. One could say they only thing they shared was their hair color, black.

No one was really sure how the two came to be friends, or who they worked for, or much else for the matter, but everyone knew they existed. _Everyone_ knew that if word came of them visiting the town, they better give them what they want, less the entire town goes up in flames. Dubbed only as the Little Assassinator and the Red Neck, for Sky's height and Lucinda's well known red scarf around her neck. No one dared to call them by these names, though. After all, Sky was very, very sensitive about her height.

Lucinda stood silently in the corner, uncaring of whatever the mission was, only waiting for a price to be named. The king hasn't called on an assassination mission in quite some time, and her ears yearned to hear the large sum they were guaranteed to get paid.

"No, those aren't your targets." Razan explained. The image shifted again, showing them a picture of Starlight's face. "She's your target."

"Another psychic soul, eh?" Sky mused, taking in her features. "Sounds fun. I've always liked these missions."

"I know." Razan nodded knowingly.

"We're getting paid the same as the other times, right?" Lucinda demanded, the first word she spoke since they had been called upon.

"Of course." Razan glanced over his shoulder at the twenty-two year old. "A deal is a deal, Lucinda."

Lucinda sat back into her corner, satisfied with the answer.

"Seems like an easy enough job." Sky grinned. "And the traitors?"

"Keep them alive." Razan said. "It's fun to watch them run around, trying to overthrow me. Once I get tired of them, though, I'll take care of them myself."

Sky pouted for a minute, obviously unhappy with not getting a chance to knock off a couple more people, but regardless, she remained firm in her stance.

"What do you want us to bring back?" Sky asked, recalling the last assassinations, in which the assassinators brought back a single body part. A hand, the eyes, something of the sort. Razan, in response, held up a small box.

"Bring me back her heart."

o.0.o.0.o

Starlight pouted as she kneeled in the dirt, pulling at a rather stubborn weed.

"I hate gardening!" she exclaimed with a frustrated sigh, throwing her hands in the air. Her Gardevoir, standing dutifully beside her, rolled her eyes.

" _You hate all forms of work."_ she responded.

"Well, all forms of work is stupid." Starlight grumbled, grabbing the weed again and giving it a sharp yank. With a cry of victory, the weed came up, only for her to tumble onto her back.

To say the least, the victorious feeling was gone.

"Stupid weed!" she shouted, throwing it in some random direction.

"Ow!"

Starlight blinked in surprise as a voice echoed through the air. Had... the weed talked?

"Crap, if you're gonna throw weeds at customers, then at least give fair warning that that's your greeting!"

Starlight turned her head, and saw a male get off a typholsion, an explosion of spiky black hair coming from his head. Still sitting on the pokémon was a young woman with gravity-defying pigtails, happily humming to herself.

"A customer?" Starlight asked, standing up, wondering if they were travelers searching for a place to find food. It was, after all, very early in the morning.

"Yeah." the man said. "I'm Gold. I was told there was a Starlight Sūta here?"

"That's me." Starlight said, crossing the yard and holding out her hand in greeting. He hesitantly shook it. Starlight cocked her head as he dropped her hand as quickly as possible. "What do you need?"

"Crystal," he turned to the woman. She blinked, staring at him. "This is Starlight. She's going to help you."

"Good morning, friend!" she grinned. "Isn't today glorious?"

Starlight could feel her face fall.

"Come on." she said, gesturing them around the house. Gold led Crystal after her until the reached a small shed. Starlight opened the door and hustled them inside.

"Get her to sit down."

"What are you going to do?" Gold asked, sounding worried and a bit apprehensive.

"I'm just going to delve into her mind and ward off the brainwashing." Starlight said. "You're not the first one to bring someone like this."

"I can imagine." Gold muttered, gently pushing Crystal down on the floor. Starlight ignored him, gingerly placing her hands to Crystals temples, closing her eyes.

Almost immediately, she was plunged into a world of darkness.

 _You will follow the orders of Razan._

 _Razan is wonderful! Razan will lead this world to light!_

 _No more war, no more sickness, no more hate._

 _The rich will perish._

 _We will rise above them._

 _Good morning, friend! Isn't today glorious? It's all thanks to Razan!_

Starlight recognized the monotonous chant. Thoughts like this always echoed in the minds of those brainwashed. She always assumed that some over-enthusiastic subject to Razan who had done this. After all, the man who provided medical care and jobs and money to villages like her own wouldn't mercilessly brainwash innocent people.

Right?

She pushed those aside, delving deeper into her mind. She caught flashes of the girls memories; her as a little girl with broken arms, wrapped and bandaged, training with fighting with her feet, people she assumed were her parents, her growing up lavishly, then flames... fear... panic...!

" _I'm here."_ she heard Gardevoir say. Starlight sighed, the reminder of her partner by her side calming her, and refocused on the problem at hand, pushing the memories aside as she delved past the memories, though voices of the past still drifted to her ears.

She suddenly came upon a door, seemingly padlocked shut. Starlight simply raised her hand, imagining the lock clattering to the ground. With her thoughts, the padlock fell, allowing Starlight access to the door.

Inside, she saw Crystal, though with a much different expression. She had a serious look on her face, pacing back and forth between the room, as if trying to figure out how to escape the prison in her own mind.

"Crystal?" Starlight asked. The woman whipped around, glaring coldly.

"Who are you? How do you know who I am?" she demanded, taking a fighting stance.

"I'm Starlight." she introduced herself, holding out a hand. "I'm here to bring you back to your senses."

"I don't trust you." Crystal said. "You could be Razan, trying to trick me." she narrowed her eyes. "You've already taken so much away from me. Did you have to take away my sense of self too?"

"I'm not Razan!" Starlight exclaimed, not fully understanding her accusation or her words. "I'm Starlight! Gold is waiting on the other side for you!"

Her face flickered at Golds name. Starlight held out a hand again.

"He's waiting, Crystal. Lets go back to reality."

Crystal glanced at her again, then slowly grasped her hand.

"This better not be a trick." she stated.

"It's not." Starlight responded, the walls suddenly crumbling around them. Starlight felt herself being pushed out of Crystals mind, indicating that the woman was done with the intrusion of the psychic soul, so she retreated. When Starlight opened her eyes, Gold was staring at her with an expectant look on his face.

"Well?" he asked. "Did ya fix my wife?"

"I believe so." Starlight said, moving her fingers from Crystals temples. The woman blinked her eyes, glancing around.

"Gold?" she asked, standing up. "Where are we?"

Gold let out a relieved sigh, then a happy chuckle, wrapping his arms around the woman and lifting her clear off the ground. Starlight smiled as Crystal began pounding her fists into his head.

"Seriously, you idiot?! We're in front of someone!"

"Details, details, Super Serious Gal." Gold responded, though set her down. "But *bleep* it's good to see you back to normal. You were starting to freak me out."

"Normal? Was I acting... odd?"

"You were brainwashed." Starlight offered helpfully. "Your husband, I guess, brought you here for me to break out out of it."

"Oh." Crystal muttered. "Well, thank you. Sincerely."

"Hey, it's not problem." Starlight smiled. "Do you need anything else?"

"No," Gold shook his head. "But watch your back from now on. No doubt that, if you can break the brainwashing, Razan already has a target on your back."

Starlight simply laughed.

"Me? What would a person like me do against the king? And why would he want a target on my back? Razan is a good person!"

Both shared a long glance before turning their gaze back to Starlight.

"Listen lady," Gold said, crossing his arms. "Here's a word of advice. Psychological damage was far worse than any beating, as beatings only last an hour, tops. Psychological damage is a thing that affects you for life."

"Remember that, okay?" Crystal offered. Starlight blinked at them, confused by their statement, but nodded regardless.

o.0.o.0.o

"So were the rumors true?" Eclipse asked from his perch on the tree branches as his Zoroark partner as he changed his appearance from that of a simple Pidgey to his true form.

" _True as Razan is a *bleep*."_ Zoroak responded. " _That girl is almost as powerful as your mother. I just watched her break a brainwashing spell over some woman. That's impressive in and of itself."_

"I could care less if she could fix the brainwashing." Eclipse glared. "Is she capable enough to fix _my_ problem?"

" _She probably is, but she's so incompetent that she doesn't even know she could fix it."_ Zoroark crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. " _Maybe if you had your mothers books..."_

"They burned in the fire, you know that." Eclipse hissed at him. Zoroark winced internally at his partners boiling rage, but fell silent as his words.

" _What are we going to do?"_ he asked after a moment of silence.

"We're going to make our move tonight." Eclipse said, leaning his head back on the tree. "Whether she wants to come willingly or not isn't my problem." he said, as if sensing Zoroarks retort. "All that matters to me is if she can continue to spell the eyepatch."

o.0.o.0.o

"People are confusing." Starlight stated as night fell, running a brush through her hair with more force than necessary.

" _You're just annoyed that they didn't explain what they meant by that advice."_ Gardevoir said, standing in the corner with her hands folded politely. _"You're used to everyone spilling their secrets to you and begging for advice. That was a challenge you weren't prepared for."_ Starlight sent a full wave of her annoyance at her partner, though said nothing as she knew she was right.

"They looked at me strange when I said Razan was a good person." Starlight said as she flopped on her bed. "What do you think that was about?"

" _I don't know."_ Gardevoir said. _"Maybe he did something that wronged them in the past? That guy kept thinking perverted things."_

"About me? Better not tell Daddy." Starlight chuckled.

" _About his wife, stupid."_ Gardevoir said, rolling her eyes. " _He's obviously wary of psychic souls, so he probably thought that to steer me clear of reading his mind."_

"Really? 'Cause he didn't seem all that intelligent." Starlight giggled, rolling over to look at her partner. Gardevoir laughed herself.

" _Perhaps."_ a pause. " _Did you get anything from the woman?"_

Flashes of her memories went through Starlights mind, but she pushed those aside. Pointless, as Gardevoir immediately picked up on the memories.

"He's gotta be a good person." Starlight said more firmly. "If he wasn't a good person, he wouldn't have taken Millennium to help her with her problem. And Daddy wouldn't have let him take her if he was't a good person."

" _Starlight..."_ Gardevoir murmured.

"Case closed!" Starlight said, flipping over and feigning sleep. She could hear Gardevoirs disapproving thoughts in her head, trying to get her to discuss the subject further, but Starlight ignored her, closing her eyes and waiting for sleep to claim her.

o.0.o.0.o

Starlight shuddered in her sleep, then jolted awake.

"Gardevoir?" she whispered, shivering in her nightgown.

" _Do you feel it too?"_ Gardevoir asked, already awake. Starlight grimly nodded, kicking off her blankets and standing up. She was still shivering, but decided to wrap a knitted shawl around her shoulders to maybe ease the cold. It hardly helped.

Slowly, she eased through the house with Gardevoir at her side, first checking on her younger sisters, Luna and Sunny, chuckling slightly as she saw that Luna had snuck into Sunny's bed again. Even at the age of twelve, the two still hated being separated. It was cute.

She went down the hall to her parents room, the one closest to the staircase so that, if someone broke into the house, her father would be the first to jump up and hit the intruder with a punch. Through the wood, she could hear her mother snoring loudly, causing her to giggle softly.

" _At least we know mom's okay."_ she said in her mind. In response, she hear Gardevoirs telepathic laughter. Starlight turned to the staircase, then walked downstairs. Once she was at the front door, she pulled on her black boots tying the laces tight around her shins.

" _What are you doing?!"_ Gardevoir cried out. Starlight rolled her eyes.

" _I'm just going to do a little parole then I'll come back in."_

 _"What if someone tries to kill you? Or kidnap you? Or... Or...!"_

Starlight rolled her eyes again.

" _What's with you and the worst case scenario?"_

 _"..."_

Starlight grinned, thinking she won.

" _What if your dad wakes up? He'll make you bake the bread again."_

Starlight shuddered. She hated that job. One might think it was an easy job, but it took a lot of work. A lot of kneading the dough and mixing ingredients and having to slave over a steaming hot oven just to get a single loaf of bread ready. By the time the batch for the bakery was done, she had sore arms and hair drenched and sticking to her neck from sweat. She liked eating the baked goods, but making them...

She shuddered at the thought.

But something was really compelling her to go outside.

" _I'll just tell him I started sleepwalking."_ Starlight shrugged.

" _And you sleep-put-your-boots-on?"_ Gardevoir responded dryly. Starlight said nothing, tightening her grip on her shawl and walking outside.

Almost immediately upon walking outside, Starlight could hear Gardevoir's worried thoughts. She sighed, rolling her eyes at her companions worry. She swore she was like a mother.

" _Lets go back inside."_ Gardevoir insisted as Starlight turned, looking over her shoulder.

" _Where's your sense of adventure?"_ Starlight asked.

" _I have a bad feeling..."_

Starlight ignored that, finding nothing around her house. Now, she could have simply turned around and went back inside, but she knew she sensed something. Not anything could simply wake her up in the middle of the night.

" _Do you sense it now?"_ Gardevoir asked. Starlight closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded grimly. She sensed two, maybe three people. Two of those wanted to cause her harm and the other... well, she couldn't place it. But the last one definitely wanted something from her.

" _We can't exactly go back to the house now."_ Starlight thought grimly. " _They might hurt Mom, Dad, and the twins."_

 _"Then what should we do?!"_

"Who's there?!" Starlight shouted.

" _Don't announce yourself!"_ Gardevoir screamed.

" _They already know where we are, so why bother hiding?"_

 _"..."_

Gardevoir didn't respond, taking up a battle ready stance.

"You're Starlight, right?" a younger voice asked. Starlight took a hesitant step back as a short girl with odd white eyes stepped out of the shadows, wielding knives in her hand and a menacing scyther at her side.

"... And what if I am?"

"Under orders of King Razan," she whipped around and saw a taller woman, also wielding a knife a Ditto at her side. "You must be executed."

"E-Executed?!" Starlight squeaked, utterly surprised at hearing such an order from the very man whom she saw, nearly, as a saintly person who helped the poor. "Why? I haven't done anything wrong!" she paused. "King Razan is a good man! He... He would never order something like that! You've got to be lying!"

"Did you seriously think all those assassinations of strong psychic pokésouls was purely coincidentally?" she whipped back around to the younger girl, Gardevoir keeping an eye on the taller woman. Starlight could feel the wheels turning in her head. The girl in front of her was to young to have committed the last reported murder, that one was eight years ago. Did that mean that Razan actually...?

"Truth hurts, doesn't it?" she heard the taller woman say behind her.

" _Gardevoir, what do we do?!"_ Starlight practically shrieked to her partner.

" _Fight?"_ Gardevoir offered weakly.

"Fighting is pointless, really." the taller one said.

"I'm Sky and that tall one is Lucinda." the smaller one grinned maliciously. "Perhaps you heard of us?"

Starlight swallowed.

"Doesn't matter." Sky shrugged. "We haven't failed an assassination mission yet."

"I'm not loosing any profits on this." Lucinda muttered behind her.

"Locke, get rid of her partner!" Sky grinned maliciously. Starlight gasped as the scyther bolted forward, bladed arms glinting as he aimed for Gardevoir. Before she even had a chance to order an attack, a shiny Zoroark lashed out, throwing the pokémon off course.

"Sorry to interrupt your little 'assassination' attempt," a male voice said, walking onto the scene, saying the word assassination mockingly. "But I need the girl."

"Are you mocking us, eyepatch kid?!" Sky exclaimed. Starlight took a closer look at him, seeing that he did, indeed, have an eyepatch over his right eye, layered purple hair falling to his shoulders. Starlight found it odd that Sky called him 'eyepatch kid' considering he looked to be nearly nineteen. Starlight just barely caught hold of the fact that he was, indeed, a pokésoul before he turned to his Zoroark. "Dark Pulse."

"Gardevoir-!" Starlight barely managed to scream before the attack was unleashed, a burst of pain going through her skull as Gardevoir fainted from the super effective attack. Starlight clutched her head, nearly falling to her knees as her connection to her powers were suddenly cut off. She knew the attack wouldn't be enough to knock her out, but she would be lying if she said that it didn't _hurt...!_

"Come _on!"_ the man hissed, roughly grabbing her wrist and dragging her through the town.

"Wait!" Starlight exclaimed, looking over her shoulder. "Gardevoir...!" She let out a quiet sigh of relief as she saw the Zoroark following with her partner on his back. "Who are you?!"

"Are you planning on waking the whole *bleep* down?" the man hissed. "If it helps, my name is Eclipse and I don't want to kill you, they obviously do, so what's the better choice?"

Starlight mused over that for a moment. If he wanted her dead, he could have had the capability to do so, right?

Starlight suddenly felt something skim her cheek and squeaked as a knife clattered to the ground. Eclipse glanced at it.

"Persistent little *bleep*." he muttered as they reached the edge of the town.

"Eclipse, we can't go in there!" Starlight exclaimed as they approached the edge of the Forbidden Forest. "Anyone who-!"

"You don't get a choice!" Eclipse hissed at her, dragging her into the darkness of the trees.

"He's getting away with our bounty!" she heard Sky shriek. Lucinda let out a groan. Starlight assumed she was unhappy about loosing her profit from her death. "Listen here, Eyepatch Kid!" Sky yelled. "If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead, understand?!"

Eclipse scoffed.

"Same here." he muttered.

Starlight suddenly felt very, very worried that she made a terrible mistake.

o.0.o.0.o

"Well, this is just great." Lucinda grumbled. "All that profit, lost."

"You're worried about profit?" Sky snapped. "I'm more worried about becoming a brainless slave, thank you very much!"

"As if he could get close enough to you." Lucinda grumbled.

A pause.

"They're both good as dead in that forest, anyways." Sky scowled. "I'd like to have killed her myself, but no one came out of the Forbidden Forest alive."

"Thus the name." Lucinda scoffed. "But we need her heart in order to get paid."

"Are you serious?! I'm not going to go and get poisoned by Arceus-knows-what in that forest for some money, Red!" Sky hissed. Lucinda thoughtfully twirled her knife in her hand.

"What if we could still make a profit?"

"Oh, Arceus, did you _not-!"_

Lucinda slapped her hand over her mouth. Sky glared at her. If it was anyone else, sky would have sawed their hand off.

"I never said we had to go into the forest." Lucinda stated calmly. "Lets just kill some pokémon and put its heart into the box. Once we get paid, we run like *bleep*. It's a win-win."

Sky paused.

"Except for Razan." Sky snickered. Lucinda smirked.

"Except for Razan."

o.0.o.0.o

"I can't believe it..." Iri trailed off, looking up at Eclipse in awe. "He did it! He made _Snow White_ actiony!"

"That's 'cause that's how it actually happened!" Nysa-Eon beamed. "My Daddy really did save my Mama from assassins!"

"Your Dad is cool!" Iri beamed.

"If you're satisfied," Eclipse said, snapping the book closed and holding it to Celina. "Go to bed."

"Will you tell the next part tomorrow?" Iri asked. Eclipse glared at him.

"N-"

"Please Daddy?" Nysa-Eon begged. Eclipse glanced at her, and felt the word die on his lips.

"Fine." he grunted out, pointing to the stairs. "Go to bed."

Nysa-Eon and Iri grinned, happily chattering up the stairs to get to their rooms. Once the children were soundly in bed, Starlight came into the room.

"So that's all it takes now, huh?" she teased. Eclipse glanced at her as her face went to a simpering look, similar to that which her daughter donned. "'Please Daddy?'"

"Don't look at me like that." Eclipse huffed.

"She has you wrapped around her little finger." Starlight commented. Eclipse shot her an almost playful glance.

"She got it from her mother."

o.0.o.0.o

 **So, disclaimer time! Lucinda, Sky, and Razan belong to StattStatt, PokeSpeBanette, and KiwiWizard respectfully. The idea of Pokésouls belongs to KiwiWizard respectfully.**

 **I had to write a chapter where I could tease Eclipse. He's such a fun character to tease! While I was writing the parts of him reading the story, i just saw him sitting in a suit and tie with a pipe in his mouth and a monocle over his eye. I'm sure if his little girl asked him nicely, he'd do it too.**

 **XD**

 **So yeah. I watched both _Snow White and the Huntsmen_ and _Snow White and the Seven Dwarves,_ and I was like... neither plot lines really fit the characters. So we're taking a different approach, but I'm going to make it as similar to the original story as possible.**

 **And with this, it seems that Red, Yellow, Crystal, and Gold are in a rebel force against the king! What could they be planning?**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	11. Starlight and the Kidnapper Part 3

"Yunyi?" Starlight asked, surprised to see her at their door, her partner, still a Kirlia, standing by her side. The young woman smiled, tucking some of her black hair behind her ear, though her shyness that she seemed to keep from her childhood showed through slightly.

"Hi." she offered.

"Um, hi." Starlight smiled, happy to see her again, though slightly confused. What was she doing here so late?

"Yunyi!" Nysa-Eon smiled, hugging the girl she considered an older sister around the legs. "Are you moving back in yet?" Yunyi smiled, patting her head.

"Was that your plan all along?" Yunyi giggled. Nysa-Eon stepped back, smiling.

"Who was at the door?" Eclipse asked as he glanced around the corner. Nysa-Eon beamed at her father. Eclipse raised an eyebrow, staring at Yunyi.

"Hey Yunyi." he said, completely unfazed by her late arrival.

"Nysa-Eon invited me." Yunyi said as Starlight stepped aside, inviting her inside. "She said Eclipse was going to read her a story, and that he was really good at it."

"Meaning he said it in a tone other than deadpan." Starlight joked. Yunyi smiled.

"Yeah. So to speak, I had to see it to believe it."

Though initially surprised that Nysa-Eon had called Yunyi, Starlight couldn't say she was initially surprised. Yunyi had become a part of their family when she was a child with her and Eclipse being teenagers. Once big adventure later, the orphaned Yunyi was, to say the least, a part of her family, becoming something akin to a little sister to her and Eclipse, even though she had a feeling that Yunyi saw them as surrogate parents.

Yunyi was a pretty important member of the family now. Starlight made her a bridesmaid in her and Eclipse's wedding, was dutifully supportive of any event that they partook in, and basically watched Nysa-Eon grow up. Only recently had she moved out, still visiting regularly, though travelled throughout Hoenn, trying to find something to do with her life.

The duo made it to the living room, were Nysa-Eon was basically being dragged around by Eclipse, holding onto his arm.

"Daddy, you promised!" Nysa-Eon giggled, pulling at her father's arm again. Eclipse grunted, pretending to be annoyed.

"Yeah, _Daddy_ ," Starlight teased as Yunyi giggled. "You promised." Eclipse shot her a small glare, but shook himself free and began climbing the stairs to her room.

"C'mon!" Nysa-Eon exclaimed, turning to Yunyi. "Everyone's waiting!"

Purposefully slow, Eclipse sauntered down the hallway, into Nysa-Eon's room that she was sharing, currently, with Celina. The other three were happily sitting around the room dark room. Eclipse could barely see Iri staring in awe at the little stars that glowed in the dark on Nysa-Eon's ceiling. Celina was pointing out different shapes while Aini seemed less interested.

Eclipse flicked on the light, catching the attention of the three children.

"Your ceiling looks like the sky!" Iri exclaimed.

"It took a lot of work." Nysa-Eon boasted proudly. "Daddy and Mommy had to do a lot of research to get it right!" she looked up at her father. "But it looks so pretty!"

"Yeah. Pretty." Eclipse echoed, going into the room and settling at the foot of the bed, on the floor in front of the children. Celina dutifully passed him the book.

"Who're you?" Aini asked as Yunyi kneeled beside them.

"This is my big sis, Yunyi!" Nysa-Eon smiled. "She met my Mommy and Daddy when she was a kid too, and now she got adopted into the family!" she pouted. "But she left to go on her own journey."

"So why's she here?" Aini asked. Nysa-Eon smiled.

"I asked her to come." the girl turned to her father. "Is Yunyi going to be in the story?"

"It wouldn't be a story of how your mother and I came to be if Yunyi wasn't in it." Eclipse muttered, flicking through the book.

"It's that story again?" Yunyi asked, sounding a little exasperated. Nysa-Eon insisted on having her parents tell that story every time she came over, and what with practically experiencing half the story, Yunyi was quite tired of it.

"Aren't you a little old for stories?" Aini asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not at all!" Celina exclaimed, sounding flabbergasted by such an accusation. "No one is to old for a good story!"

"This story is different!" Iri grinned, falling over Yunyi's lap. "Mr. Eclipse made it actiony!"

Yunyi smiled at his excitement, though wondered what he meant by 'actiony'. Wasn't the tale actiony enough?

o.0.o.0.o

 _Starlight and the Kidnapper, Part Three_

"Come _on."_ Starlight heard the man currently dragging her around hiss at her. Starlight let out a gasping breath as she stumbled over more tree roots. She's never been much of a runner or a fighter, and she was suddenly very regretful for being so lazy. Without her powers, all she really had was her looks, and looking pretty only got one so far. This had to be either some sick punishment from the pokémon gods above, or she was suddenly getting dealt one whammy of a karma card from her past life.

And if the latter was the case, she wanted to know what the heck past her did to freaking deserve getting almost assassinated and then kidnapped by some random pokésoul man.

"Seriously," she huffed, falling to her knees. Eclipse nearly wrenched her arm off at her sudden stop, but kept a firm grip on her wrist as he turned to look at her. "I can't run anymore."

"Would you rather die?" he asked bluntly.

"They aren't following us." Starlight shook her head. "This is called the Forbidden Forest for a reason. We're both doomed. No one goes into this forest and come out alive."

He scoffed.

"You don't believe me?" Starlight said, looking up at him. "I know for a fact that a couple from my very own town, both with prominent fathers, went into this forest and they never came out. A group of men went in to search for them, and all they got was the girls bandana and the boys glasses. And another time, a foreigner couple, a nobles daughter and her bodyguard, went in under the insistence of the male and neither came out! On top of that, in another town, an entire family, the man a noble, the woman married to him, with an infant girl, all went in as the man wanted to research the forest and the woman thought it would be a 'fun family outing' and no one came out!"

Eclipse seemed to not care or didn't believe her, as he continued his blank stare.

"And if that's not enough, rumor has it that a little girl went in about two years ago. A child! Now tell me where they went and why you thought it was a good idea to just frolic in here!"

"You're loud." he commented. "And you shouldn't believe such silly tales."

"Tales?!" he shot her a glare that demanded she be quieter. Not willing to anger her kidnapper, she obliged. "What do you mean, tales?"

"The first couple probably went to the next town over for protection from the king, as their parents are both prominent, and they went through this rumored 'forbidden' forest to make it look like they died. Same reasoning for the second couple, only they were probably want to elope or something. Again, same reasoning for the nobles family. He packed up his family and took them into the forest for protection from the king."

"And the little girl?"

"A silly rumor made up by children."

"You can't just brush it off like that."

"I can do as I please." Eclipse responded, yanking her up again. "Now get up. Break time is over."

"No." Starlight shook her head. "I'm going home. Those people saw what house I came out of. What if they attack my family?"

"If they wanted to attack your family, don't you think they would have snuck into the house and slaughtered all of you? No doubt they have the ability to do so."

"Don't talk like that." Starlight muttered trying to twist her wrist free. He was gripping her wrist so tight she was pretty sure that there would be bruises the next morning. "I'm going home."

"You can't go home." he stated, refusing to relinquish his grip.

"And why not?" Starlight snapped at him.

"A lot of reasons." the man shrugged. "The assassins could come back and kill you, the king could send better assassins, you could put a huge target on your family's back simply for being there, and that's all if you manage to find your way out of the forest in the dark without killing yourself or getting killed by something else."

Starlight winced, but hope that he didn't see it.

"And if I do leave and I do make it back to my hometown and no one kills me, what will you do?"

"I'll kill your partner."

Starlight opened her mouth in shock, though didn't dare to speak. This guy was a soul as well, so he should know the bond that Pokésouls and their designated partner share. Harm upon the pokémon usually reciprocates with mental harm on the human. To mentally have to die, especially for a psychic soul like herself...

She didn't even want to think about having to loose Gardevoir, let alone the feeling of dying and living the rest of her life without her 'other half'.

"And if I save Gardevoir?"

"You're delusional in and of itself, but lets _say_ you get away, back to your family, completely unharmed in this forest, where assassins won't attack you, and the corrupted king will ignore your obviously powerful psychic presence, with your partner." Eclipse said, every word making Starlight feel even stupider than before. "I'll come after you again, drag you into this forest again, and keep doing so until I get what I want."

Starlight lowered her gaze to the ground. She was really in a pickle now, wasn't she? This man took every idea of having things working in her favor and mercilessly shot it down. It felt as if he was already several steps ahead of her.

What does he want so badly? The question kept mulling in her head, but she didn't want to ask this guy something and make him lash out. She'd consult with Gardevoir when she woke up, but until then, it became painfully obvious that she was on her own.

"Lets keep moving." he stated, turning, finally relinquishing the grip on her wrist, knowing she wouldn't be going anywhere. Starlight tightened her grip on the shawl around her shoulders, thankful that she hadn't lost it in the action of being kidnapped and almost assassinated.

The only sound was their scuffling feet against dead leaves, all of which had fallen from the trees. That was the odd thing about the forest. It was full of life on the outskirts, but once they got closer to the center, it became dead and baron, the trees gray and lifeless, twisted oddly like someone took great joy in knotting them up. Roots sprouted from the ground, threatening to trip anyone who dared to not look closely. A gloomy fog seemed to linger around them, as if trying to engulf them into the smokey darkness.

Starlight blinked, suddenly feeling extremely... off. Like she was under a hypnosis attack or something. The world was foggy and unusual, colors and shapes twisting here and there.

"Hey..." Starlight muttered, staggering into a tree. The kidnapper turned, looking back at her. "I'm not feelin' to well..." Funny, her words seemed slurred.

"... Lady?" he asked after a moment. Starlight blinked, trying to figure out what was going on, slowly slumping off to the side and loosing consciousness.

o.0.o.0.o

The next afternoon proved to be a good one for Razan.

True, those two spies had escaped, but he managed to pick up the location of Starlight, and by the time lunch rolled around, Sky and Lucinda had returned with the box. Judging by the new weight in it, they've done their job successfully.

So confident was he that he took the time to eat a fine lunch in celebration for once again being the strongest psychic soul, and when he was finished, he sauntered back to the room with the magic mirror, holding the box in his hand. This time around, he didn't even care about having to say the annoying rhyme to summon the mirror, he said it quite happily, watching as the mirrors face formed in the reflective glass.

"Someone's in a good mood." the mirror commented.

"Magic mirror on the wall," Razan said, holding open the box. "Who is the strongest psychic soul of them all?"

The mirrors face glazed over.

"Past her town and in the Forbidden forest, snatched into the night by a zoroark soul with unusual powers, is the strongest psychic soul."

Razan raised an eyebrow at this.

"Starlight lies dead in her home." Razan said. "I've sent two of my best assassins after her, and they've yet to fail me." As if to prove his point, he opened the box containing the heart. "They've even brought me proof. Behold," he thrust the box towards the mirror. "Her heart."

"Starlight still lives, the strongest psychic soul in the land." the mirror responded, the image glazing over, showing Starlight unconscious, laying next to a purple-haired young man. Two pokémon were around them, the gardevoir frantically flitting around her partner while the zoroark seemingly impassive. "That's the heart of a pignite you hold in your hands."

It took a moment for Razan to process that information.

" _Razan?"_ Hypno asked. Razan had his head bowed, hands gripping the box so tightly that the pokémon was sure that he was going to break it.

Suddenly, the entire thing was crushed under the weight of Razan's powerful psychic energy.

"The heart of a pignite." Razan repeated as the splintered box and now crushed heart fell from his grasp, creating a rather unsightly mess on the floor. "Those sly little... To be fooled by mere girls..." he trailed off. "The heart of a pignite."

" _Should we rally troops to hunt them down, sir?"_ Hypno asked. Razan shook his head.

"What's the point? Those two are slyer than zorua's." he responded.

" _Then an army for the girl?_ "

"Why would I need to send an army when I could send only a person?" Razan said, his eyes suddenly lighting up with an truly horrible idea. "Go fetch me Altair."

o.0.o.0.o

Red hurried through the hallways of the castle, the mercenary trying to keep his composure though he was internally freaking out. Razan very rarely called upon Altair, which means that he needed to find this girl and warn her, fast.

"Red." the mercenary froze mid-step at the voice, then slowly turned, seeing Razan's notorious, most favored assassin standing behind him. Altair smirked, casually tucking some of her short black hair behind her ear, dark violet eyes flashing menacingly as she sauntered up to them. "So. You want to know what I heard recently?"

Red swallowed, eyeing the menacing daggers at her waist, then smiled.

"What, Altair?"

"I heard there were some _ratatta_ sneaking about the castle." she said, lowering her voice to a violently quiet level. Red hid his shudder. He was not one to get scared easily, but Altair wasn't exactly... mentally stable. To put it lightly.

Honestly, Altair was a strange one. She was a pokésoul with a rare partner, a Victini, but rumor says something happened the day they were meant to meet. He didn't know too many of the details, but her parents had sent her here with hopes that their pokésoul king would be able to help her. She would switch, very suddenly, between almost two different people; a shy and respectful young lady to a violent and vengeful woman. It was almost hard to keep up with it.

But then one day her partner disappeared, and the violent part of her was there to stay. Very rarely did this shy side that was there when she first arrived came out, and Red had a feeling that, possibly, the lack of her partner was the cause of this.

Now she was a near-expert assassin and fiercely loyal to Razan, and would kill anyone... whether she was ordered to or not.

"That so?" he said. "I'll keep an eye out."

He brushed by her, trying to ignore her piercing look.

"You know," she said clearly. "I'd keep an eye on that blond nurse." Red came to a dead stop, continuing to listen. "It's always the quiet one's, right? And she was pretty close to those two who recently abandoned ship."

Red felt a jolt of fear go down his spine. Yellow...!

"But then again," he could almost see her smirk. "You were pretty close to them too, weren't you?"

o.0.o.0.o

Eclipse was suddenly very aware that he was conscious, though had yet to open his uncovered eye. He took a moment to try to regain his bearings.

" _You feeling okay, Eclipse?_ "

Eclipse grunted something at Zoroark, slowly pushing himself onto his elbows.

"What happened?" he muttered, coming to his knees as he tried to force the fog clogging his mind away.

" _What do you remember?_ " Zoroark asked.

"I remember running into the woods, the woman stopping, threatening to kill her partner, then..." he trailed off, suddenly jolting up and whipping around. "Where's the girl?!"

" _Over there, wise*bleep*._ " Zoroark said, nodding to the left. Eclipse turned, and true to the dark-types word, the woman was laying on her side, unconscious. Her Gardevoir, whom he assumed had somehow regained consciousness while they were passed out, was kneeling beside her human partner, keeping a protective eye on her. " _Are you going to keep referring to her as 'the woman'? She has a name, you know. It's Starlight"_

 _"I don't care."_ Eclipse responded, sitting up and looking at the Gardevoir. "Why are you here?" he spoke aloud.

" _I prefer not to abandon my partner, thank you."_ the Gardevoir responded telepathically.

"You couldn't teleport out?"

Gardevoir narrowed her eyes. Zoroark snickered.

" _I kept her in line."_

"Again, don't care." Eclipse said. "You still didn't tell me what happened."

" _It's this fog._ " Zoroark said, waving his paw through the air. " _These trees produce them on their own, and they have an odd affect on humans."_

"Explain."

 _"They give you weird side effects."_ Gardevoir spoke. " _Hallucinations, effects similar to those of drunkenness, and eventual unconsciousness."_

 _"Understand why it's called 'forbidden'?"_ Zoroark grinned _. "Everyone's scared of these side effects of the fog. They just don't know it's the fog! They think it's spirits or demons or something!"_

"Hn." Eclipse muttered, not really responding to that as he tore off the end of his cloak, wrapping it over his nose and mouth to keep from breathing in the toxic fumes. He glanced at Starlight "Is she going to be okay?"

" _She'll be fine."_ Gardevoir responded, glancing worriedly at her. " _I don't know when she'll wake up though. She's a heavy sleeper, even without the influence of a mysterious fog."_

Eclipse resisted the urge to facepalm.

o.0.o.0.o

Starlight internally smirked as she continued to fake her unconsciousness.

With her eyes closed, she couldn't exactly discern how long they were moving or how long Eclipse had been carrying her over his shoulder, similar to like how one would carry a sack of potatoes, but she wasn't going to walk if she didn't have too.

" _When are you going to tell him you're awake?"_ Gardevoir asked.

 _"When we're at civilization."_ she responded. " _Though his shoulder is really starting to dig into my stomach."_

 _"Then tell him you're awake if it hurts."_

 _"Nope. I'm not walking till I have to."_

 _"So lazy."_ Gardevoir sighed. Starlight rolled her eyes. _"There's something off about this guy, though."_

 _"Outside of kidnapping me from my village? I'm sure he's normal."_ Starlight mused sarcastically.

" _Eclipse also saved you remember."_

 _"By kidnapping me."_

 _"... That's fair."_ Gardevoir sighed. " _That's not what I meant, though."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"I mean, there's something with him and his Zoroark."_

 _"Of course there is, he's a Pokésoul. It's natural for the feeling to be off."_

 _"You need to stop interrupting me."_ Gardevoir said. " _I mean that the_ ** _bond_** _feels off. Like it was tampered with."_

 _"Tampered with?"_ Starlight furrowed her brow. " _How so?"_

 _"I have no clue."_ Gardevoir responded. " _But it's like... It's stronger than normal, but also suppressed."_ a pause. " _It's very complicated."_

Starlight didn't really respond to that, slowly digesting the information. She's never heard to a bond being tampered with. Not even in a legend, or even a childhood story. A pokésouls bond was something that was absolute, like how the sun always rose in the morning and set at night. It wasn't something that changed or could be forced to change.

But judging from what Gardevoir was saying someone, or something, had attempted to mess with the bond that Eclipse and Zoroark had, whether or not to make his powers stronger or completely sever the bond, she didn't know.

Suddenly, she landed on the ground, eliciting a yelp as pain blossomed in her hip.

"Ow!" she whined at Eclipse as she rolled into a sitting position. The young man was rolling his shoulder, glaring at her. Zoroark snickered.

"I knew you were awake." Eclipse responded. "You're heavy."

Starlight fumed slightly.

"What are you implying?!"

"That you're heavy."

"Are you saying I'm fat?!"

"No, I'm saying you're heavy." Eclipse stretched his arms above his head. "Now shut up and start walking. I don't think we're in the vicinity of the fog anymore, but we aren't out of these *bleep*ed woods yet."

"I'm not going anywhere with you until you tell me what's going on." Starlight said, stubbornly crossing her arms and shooting him a pointed glare. He said nothing, but narrowed his eye. Starlight tried to hide her shudder. The eyepatch and the perpetual glare he always wore made him scary, but he looked ready to strangle her into submission. "Why would King Razan want me dead and why do you need me all of a sudden?"

At this, he scowled, averting his gaze.

"Razan is a dirty bastard." he said simply. "Anyone who's support he can't buy, he brainwashes them." he glanced at her. "I'll even give you three guesses. What type of pokésoul can break Razan's brainwashing?"

"... Razan is not the type of person who would do that."

"Arceus, you really are an idiot." Eclipse sighed. "Believe what you will. I honestly don't care."

"This still doesn't explain why you need me." Starlight said, shaking her head. "What's with the sudden kidnapping? I know you're not some knight in shining armor saving me from assassins."

"If you didn't have a use to me, I would have let the assassins kill you." Eclipse muttered under his breath. Starlight narrowed her eyes.

"You have an underlying motive. I don't know what it is, but there's a reason you haven't killed me yet."

Eclipse groaned, pushing his bangs off his forehead.

"I have a problem that my mother used to help me with. She was a strong psychic soul too." his hand fell back to his side as he spoke the next sentence. "Now she's dead so I need another psychic soul."

Starlight felt a shiver go up her spine. That sentence sounded so... so cold...

 _"Is he some sort of sociopath?"_ Starlight asked in a slightly panicked tone to Gardevoir in her mind. _"There was no emotion in that sentence, and he was referring to his dead mother!"_

 _"I think... I think he's just tired of explaining it."_ Gardevoir mused, looking at him. " _Sense his emotions, Starlight. He doesn't want to bring up old memories. Just roll with it, okay?"_

Starlight warily glanced at him. Faintly, she could sense an underlying sense of regret and sorrow, but he was doing a good job at hiding it.

"So you found me." Starlight said. "And you need me because...?"

"I need you to fix my problem."

"It has something to do with your weird bond, doesn't it?"

Eclipse said nothing for a moment.

"So what's wrong with it?"

"..." again, nothing. Slowly, he turned away from her.

"Just watch this." he stated stoically. Starlight cocked her head in curiosity, watching as he reached behind his head and slowly unclasped the eyepatch. Starlight expected the eye underneath to be damaged or maybe even missing, but in fact, it seemed normal, if not unusual for the odd amber color that seemed so similar to his Zoroarks, yet contrasted greatly to his other onyx black eye. There was a moment of nothing happening.

Then there was an explosion.

Starlight hardly had a chance to scream. The path of trees in front of him exploded under the pressure of a beam of darkness, the ground scorched under the intensity of the overwhelming power.

Eclipse had quickly re-covered his eye by literally shoving the eyepatch over it. And like that, the darkness was gone.

But the damage was done. A literal pathway had been plowed down, destroyed under the power of his eye. He turned to look at her, and she tried not to look absolutely terrified. Something must have peeked through though, as he scowled, looking away.

" _You flinched."_ Gardevoir murmured telepathically. Starlight didn't respond, eyes flicking back and forth between Eclipse and the swath of land he destroyed.

"What was that?" she finally asked, her voice coming out in a high-squeaked pitch of fear and shock.

" _That_ is my problem." Eclipse said, eyepatch secured, nodding towards the destruction. "It's a permanent link to Zoroark's powers. A permanent link set to a dangerous level. I can't turn them off or control them. Thankfully, it only manifests in my one eye."

"And that eyepatch...?"

"Charmed by my mother." Eclipse stated. "It's supposed to contain the energy. Anything else, as you can see," his eye shot to the destruction, then back to her. "Immediately gets incinerated."

"And what do you expect me to do?" Starlight exclaimed, getting up.

"Anything." Eclipse stated. Starlight blinked in surprise. He sounded... desperate. "I honestly don't care what you do. I need this fixed though."

"What did your mother do?"

"I'm not to sure myself." Eclipse said. "I know she used some spellbooks and I know she worked a lot with Musharna to limit the bond. This," he touched the eyepatch. "Is simply a temporary fix."

"... What happens if the temporary fix is gone? Can't you just keep your eye closed?"

"I told you, it was spelled." Eclipse scowled. "I can't just smack a bandage on it and expect it to be fine."

"And what will happen if the fix is gone?"

Eclipse averted his gaze, glancing upwards.

"How do I explain it in terms that you'd understand?" he mused. Starlight opened her mouth to retort that, but got cut off by Eclipse spoke again. "Remember when you reached ten or eleven, and your powers got all out of whack?"

Starlight paused at that.

"Yeah." she responded.

Oh, did Starlight remember. Gardevior had recently evolved from a Ralts to Kirlia at that point in time, and her powers were going from simple levitation of cookies to near poltergeist activity and an onslaught of voices from everyone's mind. She thought she was going crazy from the voices, and every time she so much as blinked, something was flying across the room or breaking on it's own.

It was scary. But eventually, she managed to get proper training from Kirlia to control the powers, and she moved on.

"Well, the same thing happens to all Pokésouls." Eclipse continued. "It's a natural part of our life so that we need to learn to deal with using and controlling our powers." he looked at her again. "If we don't, then the elements flow into our bodies, corrupting us."

"I know that." Starlight nodded. "Gardevoir said that psychic souls usually go mad if they can't control their powers, what with hearing voices all the time and whatnot. Their mental stability just snaps." she mimed breaking a stick in front of her to punctuate her point. Eclipse ignored her.

"What do you think will happen if I can't get this properly fixed?" Eclipse asked, glaring at her. "I'll be corrupted by the darkness I was born with. Without the eyepatch, it burns behind my eyelid. This thing suppresses the powers, but suppression can only do so much."

"Then we'll fix the bond." Starlight said, standing up. Eclipse sighed.

"You don't get it, do you?"

"Get what? The quickest way to get rid of the problem is to fix the bond!" Starlight insisted.

"I don't want the bond fixed." Eclipse hissed. "I want it _gone."_

o.0.o.0.o

Not many words were exchanged after the conversation earlier that day. Starlight tried to start up a few conversations, feeling awkward, but Eclipse hardly responded with more than a grunt or small, blunt, to the point answers. She glanced at him, and decided to try again.

"What's your family like?"

Starlight quickly realized her mistake. His mother was killed! How could she have been so callous?

"I'm-"

"Dad sold everything we had and I was forced to live out my lives on the street, motherless."

"But didn't King Razan-"

"What?" Eclipse snorted. "Do you think your precious king sent supplies to help me? Do you thing he's an almighty saint of the poor?"

"Of course! It's his sworn duty to protect the people!"

Eclipse shook his head.

"Sworn duty, you say? Then how come he hasn't helped me with this, then?" Eclipse pointed to his eyepatch covered eye.

"I'm sure if you asked him-"

"You don't get it. You just don't get it, do you?" Eclipse said, shaking his head.

"I think-"

He shot her a fierce glare.

"Just stop talking."

Starlight did, deciding instead to review over what she's learned about him so far.

" _So he's motherless, presumably fatherless, and is suffering from a destructive bond which he refuses to tell me the history of."_ Starlight mused silently.

" _Don't forget that he has the personality of a rock."_ Gardevoir added. Starlight smiled.

" _True."_ an internal sigh. " _How long have we been walking? I'm exhausted."_

 _"For a few hours now."_ Gardevoir mused.

Another long silence.

"Wanna hear about my family?" Starlight offered.

"No."

Starlight sighed, glancing up as the forest suddenly became a field of reeds and tall grass.

"Finally." Starlight sighed. "Out of that wretched forest." As she took a few steps forward, she stopped.

"What is it?" Eclipse grunted at her sudden halt.

"There's someone here." Starlight said.

"A person?"

"A pokésoul." she clarified, pushing through the reeds. She heard some soft humming, sounding like a young child.

"Seriously?" Eclipse muttered, watching as she continued through the reeds. Pushing one final bunch aide, the two humans and two pokémon saw a little, ten-year-old girl wearing a light blue dress that was humorously to big for her, a blue ribbon holding long black hair back, little brown boots on her feet. Dark brown eyes were dazed as she stared up at the clouds above her, a Kirlia beside her.

"Hey." Starlight said to get the girls attention. The girl startled, jolting up and staring at them with wide eyes. "What are you doing way out here, little one?"

Suddenly, the girl jumped up, scooping up Kirlia and darting into the reeds.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Starlight exclaimed, chasing after the girl.

"Hold on." Eclipse ordered, snatching her bicep as she neared a body of water, presumably a river or a lake. Starlight blinked up at him, slowly following his gaze to the waters concealed by the fog.

"Who goes there?" they heard a cold female voice say. From the fog they could barely make out three small boats, led by a woman with her head concealed by a cloak. The other members were also cloaked, all of them wielding some sort of weapon with the exception of the little girl, who was cowering in one of the boats.

"Two per a boat." she heard Eclipse mutter. "All armed with some weapon."

"We can't fight them!" Starlight muttered harshly. "There's a child with them!"

"I said," the woman repeated. "Who goes there." this was a demand, rather than a question. "Only demons and spirits come from the forest. Which are you?"

"We're fugitives." Eclipse answered.

"Or spies." the lead woman muttered suspiciously.

"Jade," one of the other members of the boat said, hopping off. She was more petite than the other woman. "I think they're pokésouls." The leader, Jade, turned to them.

"Is that true?"

"Yes." Starlight blurted, desperate for a bed or something to sleep in. "I'm psychic and he's dark."

"Starlight." Eclipse hissed.

"Huh." Jade slowly pushed her hood down, revealing pale blond hair, misted over green eyes, and... glaceon ears? "No doubt you're on the run from the king, correct?"

"From the king." Starlight confirmed, deciding to ignore the ears. After all, who was she to judge. Eclipse, however, kept a pointed gaze on the woman. "Can you offer us some shelter for a little while?"

Jade seemed to muse over that for a moment.

"I think we should." a male voice from the boats said. "After all, Yunyi-"

"I'm aware." Jade said, cutting him off. She turned back to them. "Fortunately for you, we have use for a psychic soul."

"Hold on a moment." Eclipse said, stepping forward. There was a pause, everyone glancing at him. "Are you the resistance?"

A long silence.

"The resistance?" Starlight echoed.

"There's rumor flitting through the country that there's a resistance army led by a group of gijinka's." Eclipse briefly explained. Starlight furrowed her brow.

"Gijinka's?"

"Arceus, you're stupid." Eclipse sighed. Starlight shot him a pointed glare. "Half-human, half-pokémon? It's not that hard." he turned back to Jade, ignoring Starlight. "Well? Are you?"

"Smart lad!" laughed the female next to Jade. Starlight blinked. This girl sounded younger than Jade, and seemed like it too. She thought back to Sky calling him a 'kid'. What was it with girls referring to Eclipse as younger than he is? He didn't even look like a kid! "Yeah, we're the resistance."

Starlight nearly feel over when Eclipse smiled. Well, more like a smirk, but close enough to being a smile for him.

"Then we've got a lot to discuss."

o.0.o.0.o

All was silent as the began crossing the lake. Starlight chose to sit in the boat with the little girl and the glaceon-eared woman, a double edged sword, it seemed. She was curious about the little girl, who she now deduced was indeed a pokésoul like herself, and wanted to talk to her. But Jade wasn't letting anything go unchecked. Starlight had a feeling that the girl wouldn't say much to them, but with Jade's commanding presence that essentially demanded silence, she wasn't going to get so much as a peep.

Eclipse was sitting beside her, keeping a steady glare on his face which, much like Jade's, demanded that no one try anything.

" _You can practically see the tension between the two."_ Gardevoir muttered.

" _They're just struggling over who's going to be the alpha mightyena."_ Starlight responded. " _Once Eclipse realizes that he's not going to take the lead, he'll back down, I'm sure."_

 _"Or he'll blow everything up with his eye."_

 _"... Just stop talking, Gardevoir."_

Slowly, the made their way to a small little peer, where a very small group of people greeted them. Outside of the seven resistant members on the boat, including Yunyi, there were eight other adults and some children.

"Mom!" two kids exclaimed, obviously twins with their brown hair and green eyes, though the boy had umbreon ears and the girl had espeon ears. Next to them was a brunette man with flareon ears.

"Onyx, what have I told you about letting Pine and Olive play on the peer?" Jade demanded, standing up as the man, Onyx, offered her a hand.

"Not too." Onyx grinned. "Without supervision. But they have the supervision of eight adults, so it's all good."

"This is the resistance?" Eclipse asked, glancing over the little wooden huts and the small number of people. "I thought it was an army."

"Eclipse!" Starlight scolded.

"It's okay." someone else said. Starlight turned her head, mouth dropping as she saw Crystal approach them. "Hey. Didn't think I'd see you again."

"You...!"

"Yeah, we're part of the resistance." Gold grinned, coming up behind Crystal. There was a silence. "We lost a lot of good men, fighting Razan. Almost lost our lives as well."

"So Razan put a hit on you." Eclipse stated, climbing out of the boat.

"Yeah." a long silence after the statement from Gold.

"We're going to regroup." Jade stated as a young woman with jolteon ears helped pull the little girl from the boat. "We'll introduce you to everyone then."

Eclipse and the little girl stayed behind as the others went back to a little hut. The girl glanced at Starlight, then held out her hand. Starlight smiled at her, taking her tiny hand and standing. The little girl stumbled a bit, trying to pull her out. Eclipse rolled his eye, then reached out his own hand. Starlight shot him a smaller smile, and with the help of both of them, she got out of the boat.

"So what's your name?" Starlight asked once they were on the tiny peer. The girl looked up at them.

"Y-Yunyi." she smiled shyly. Starlight found herself straining to hear the girls words. She pointed to the Kirlia beside her. "That's Devoir."

"I'm Starlight and this is Eclipse." Starlight responded. "These are our partners, Gardevoir and Zoroark."

o.0.o.0.o

Eclipse stared over the small town with a protective eye, glowering.

He didn't like being wrong.

And he was wrong.

All those silly stories and superstitions Starlight believed about the forest was true.

The couple with prominent fathers that disappeared from her hometown? They were Ruby Senri and Sapphire Birch, the son of Norman Senri and Professor Birch, both which were instructed to flee as children.

The nobles daughter and her bodyguard? None other than White and Black, a wealthy young woman with a love of theatre and her bodyguard, Black, a skilled swordsman who's set on being the best. Both hail from Unova, but after getting attacked by some of Razan's guards, they fled here.

The noble man and his family was really Sir Green Oak, his wife Blue, and his daughter Turquoise, now six. Razan had attacked their affluent family home to arrest them, though he and his family ran into the night on the insistence of his grandfather. Green didn't know the fate of his grandfather, who was living with them, but he was sure that his sister was being sought out or seeking out him and his family.

Even the little girl getting lost was true. That was Yunyi.

It was all to insane to be true, but it was all staring him in the face.

The others shared similar stories.

Platinum Berlitz ran here with her bodyguards, Diamond and Pearl. Topaz discovered the place in search of the trio. Silver and Soul stumbled across the place while the former was searching for Blue, his sister. Crystal and Gold, engaged at the time, ran after Crystals home was torched with a younger orphan boy who followed them, named Emerald. Finally, Jade, Onyx, his younger sister, Opal, and her boyfriend, Carnelian, fled to the forest and actually began the resistance. More and more people joined, and soon, they had enough to actually be proven a threat to Razan.

Then it all went to hell in a heartbeat.

Somehow, Razan figured out their location, similarly to how he had somehow figured out Starlight's location, and attacked. Practically the whole resistance was wiped out in a single attack, seemingly led by a madwoman who liked to rain down destruction on any who crossed her path.

Unknown to him, however, a small amount of people survived, and they managed to move away from the attack site, escape, and built up what they had left. With that, they sent four of their members, Red, their most gifted knight, Yellow, their sage, and Gold and Crystal, both assumed dead by the king, and had them infiltrate the castle to gain information.

He kept his gaze on Starlight, now wearing clothes provided by Blue, was happily playing with Greens daughter, Jade's twins, Olive the girl and Pine the boy, and Yunyi.

He pushed himself up, walking along the peer until he reached the small group. The kids glanced up at the, unnerved, maybe by his appearance.

"Your parents want to see you." Eclipse stated simply.

"Aaw." the younger ones whined, though obediently ran off the peer. Eclipse stared down at Yunyi.

"You too." he said coldly. Yunyi gripped the skirt of her dress.

"I haven't got any parents." she responded. Eclipse raised an eyebrow. An orphan?

"What do you want?" Starlight asked, standing.

"I want you to help me with my problem." Eclipse said. Starlight huffed as she started helping Yunyi up.

"I can't help you unless I know where the source of the problem."

Eclipse raised an eyebrow.

"Source?"

"Yunyi, would you mind if we use your hut for a little while?" Starlight asked. Yunyi blinked, then shook her head.

"No, it's fine."

"Okay, I need you to go tell the others that what I'm going to do is going to require some extreme concentration, so they can't bother us, okay?"

Yunyi nodded dutifully, running off to spread the message.

o.0.o.0.o

"What are you going to do?" Eclipse asked warily as Starlight closed the door behind them.

"I'm going to figure out what's wrong with your bond." Starlight said cheekily, sitting across from him. Gardevoir was by her side and Eclipse was sitting on the floor.

"And how do you plan on doing that, huh?" Eclipse countered, narrowing his eye.

"I'm just going to take a peek into your mind." she said casually.

"No." Eclipse said, quickly standing up. Starlight stood up with him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Don't start freaking out." she said calmly. "Listen. Your mother did something to fix the bond, right?"

"I'm not going to let you go poking through my memories or my mind. Those are certain lines I'm not willing to cross." Eclipse said, reaching up to shove her back. Starlight tightened her grip.

"I'm not!" Starlight insisted. "I'm going to just look at your bond and see what I can do to fix it." She tried to look as sincere as possible when she looked up at him. He seemed to weigh his options in his head for a moment.

"No." he stated simply. Starlight narrowed her eyes.

"How do expect me to help you then?"

"Find a different way, that's not-" he was cut off as Starlight suddenly lunged at him, trying to reach for his head. "Hey! What the-"

"Just let me look! I don't want to poke through your past or anything!"

"I don't trust you!"

"You should!" Starlight argued as they continued to struggle. "How do you expect me to help you," Starlight continued, giving him a good shove. "When you won't even give me a chance?!"

Somehow, in the midst of the struggle, Starlight found herself sitting on top of him. Victoriously, she grinned, quickly pressing her fingers to his temples, falling into the depths of his mind.

o.0.o.0.o

"Zoroark!" Eclipse growled. "Get her off!" Zoroark raised his head.

" _No way. This is way to funny."_ Zoroark snickered. Eclipse thought of a thousand painful deaths for his partner, only to feel Starlight flinch on top of him. Had she read into that?

" _Don't!"_ Gardevoir exclaimed as Eclipse gripped her wrists, prepared to shove her off. " _Don't break the connection."_

"Why?" Eclipse growled.

" _I don't know what it will do if you do break it."_ Gardevoir said, worriedly glancing at her partner. Eclipse shot a glance to her, seeing that she had a completely blank look on her face, eyes fogged over and faded, as if she had gone into a daze. " _She might hurt you mentally from the shock, or hurt herself. Just ride it out and think about... a blank piece of paper or something."_

Eclipse attempted that, but found it hard. Being a quiet and lonely person, he didn't have much to entertain himself with outside of his thoughts. So he thought about a blank piece of paper, as Gardevoir suggested.

o.0.o.0.o

Starlight knew the layers of the mind well.

First was the initial thoughts, what the person was thinking about at the time. Eclipse was thinking about a blank piece of paper, as if trying to use it as a defense mechanism. She went past this, suddenly surrounded by his deeper memories. They tempted her, appearing as small orbs of light in a void of darkness, begging to be touched, to show her his past.

"No." she said, reprimanding herself. How horrible of her to even consider it. Psychic pokésouls probably were the most respectful of the privacy of others, as they could so easily invade it, sometimes without even trying. She didn't want to. She shouldn't.

But maybe one...

" _Starlight."_

She blinked at Gardevoir's warning, retracting her hand. She was already forcing herself into his mind, she wasn't going to push it any farther. She pushed aside the orbs and his memories, going for her target.

His bond with Zoroark.

The pokésoul bond between a human and pokémon was an organic thing. It usually shone brightly with the person's aura, specks of their partner winding around it, solidifying the bond.

But Eclipse's was different.

Sure, she could see his aura color. Black, indicating his negative feelings, his unwillingness to forgive. Mixed with it was gray, showing his lack of trust and, deep, deep under the black and gray, was dark red, showing how he is self-sufficient and has a strong will to survive. Flitting around it was Zoroarks mischievous aura.

But she could barely see it behind the large, blackened scars holding it together. It wasn't holding it together, though, as if it were about to fall apart, but rather, as if protecting it, growing more strongly in places it was damaged. But where did the damage come from? How did it happen?

It didn't really matter, though she was curious. All she had to do was to figure out how to fix it.

"Why are you so protective?" she murmured aloud, gently reaching out a hand to touch the bond. It seemed to give a backlash, mentally striking her, a warning to not come closer. "I'm trying to help you." she stated clearly, slowly laying her hand against one.

Suddenly, a searing pain went through her mind, wracking her skull and feeling as if it would split her head in two. W... What was this?! It felt like something was trying to sever something in her head!

She let out a shuddery gasp as she suddenly slammed back into her mind. Gardevoir was yelling in her mind, asking what happened, if everything was okay.

"What did you do?" Eclipse asked, sitting up, though she was still sitting on his legs. He rubbed his head as if he had a headache. "It felt weird." Starlight was still backpedaling from the sudden attack. Had the bond attacked her? Or was it using one of Eclipse's memories as a defense mechanism?

" _Starlight?"_ she heard Gardevoir ask, concerned.

"Did it hurt?" Starlight murmured. Eclipse raised an eyebrow.

"I told you it felt weird. What did you find?"

"What happened to your bond?" she asked, glancing at him. "It's all scarred and... and weird. I think it might have attacked me."

"Attacked?"

"It felt like something was trying to split something in my mind." Starlight said, pressing a head to her forehead. "I don't know what it was, but it _hurt._ Badly."

Eclipse glanced at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked as she rolled off him, curling into a ball on the bed.

"I'm tired." she muttered.

"Starlight? Eclipse?" Eclipse glanced up, seeing Yunyi shyly peeking in. "Can I come in? Miss Blue said I shouldn't bother you, but it's getting late and I don't have anywhere to sleep."

"You're fine." Eclipse said, standing up. "Though I think Starlight stole your bed."

"I don't mind sharing." Yunyi said, climbing up next to the young woman. "Are you going to come to sleep too?"

"No." Eclipse stood up, seeing through the door that it was, indeed, nighttime. "I'm going for a walk. Zoroark, are you coming?"

" _*Bleep*, no."_ Zoroark responded. " _I'm exhausted. Go on your little nighttime adventure by yourself."_

Eclipse shrugged of his partners sarcasm, preparing to leave. He glanced back at Starlight and Yunyi, both already sleeping peacefully.

"That was quick." he muttered, opening the door, only to get blasted by cold air. He glared out the door, annoyed by the cold then scolding himself for forgetting how cold the nights got in the forest. Being by a body of water wasn't helping.

He stepped out of the house, shutting the door behind him.

" _They're going to get cold, you know."_

Eclipse raised an eyebrow.

 _"Shut up, Zoroark."_

 _"Whatever you say. Just remember you're screwed if she dies of hypothermia."_

Eclipse paused, rationalizing with himself. Then he turned around, opened the door and grabbed one of the spare blankets, draping it over the two.

It was only until he reached the outskirts of the little village that he sensed Zoroark's emotions again. He narrowed his eyes, speaking in his mind.

" _Stop smirking, you idiotic pain."_

o.0.o.0.o

"Miss Starlight?"

Starlight blinked as she saw Aini standing in the doorway, an angry pout on her face.

"Aini?" she asked, not understanding why the child was up so late. After the story had finished, Eclipse essentially collapsed into bed, while Starlight chose to stay up later. It was nearly ten at night. Why was the little girl awake?

"That's the name, don't wear it out." Aini snapped back. Starlight rolled her eyes.

"What is it?" she asked gently. The little girl averted her gaze, muttering something. "Can you repeat that? I didn't hear."

"I want..." she trailed off. "I wanna call my Mom."

o.0.o.0.o

 **So this is taking up more of _Snow White and the Huntsmen._ Wonderful!**

 **Yeah, I know it's a week late. I'm sorry. Lifes been hectic as hell with school and volunteer crap.**

 **Anyways, Yunyi is owned by HakaiElementalVocaloid. All rights go to their owners.**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	12. Starlight and the Kidnapper Part 4

"Is everything packed?" Starlight called. Today was the day that Celina, Aini, and Iri were leaving to go back home, and she was trying to make sure that they had everything packed and ready to go so there wouldn't be a mad rush when their mother came.

"I've got all mine!" Celina called, bouncing up on the bed. Aini sat nearby with a pout on her face, bad attitude peeking through even though Starlight knew that she was so looking forward to seeing her mother again.

Starlight did a mental checklist. Their clothes had been cleaned and folded, toothbrushes packed, Celina had her favorite stuffed Zorua and Aini had her Eevee...

"I can't find Phan!" Iri exclaimed, his three-year-old mind chalking up the possibility of loosing his favorite Phanphy plush as a tragedy.

"It's okay!" Starlight said quickly, trying to keep the child from bursting into tears. "Phan didn't grow legs and walk away, I'm sure-"

"He's here." Starlight turned and shot a grateful glance to Eclipse, holding up the plush by the back. Iri's near-tears did a one-eighty and went to an ecstatic grin.

"Phan!" he cried out, nearly clambering up Eclipse's legs to get to the precious toy. Once he was done, he grinned. "Can we finish the story now? Before Mom comes?"

"Yeah!" Aini snapped. "Don't leave us hanging!"

"But Aini," Starlight teased. "I thought you _didn't_ _like_ love stories."

"I still don't!" Aini groaned. "But I also don't like not knowing the stupid ending!"

"I have the book!" Celina smiled. "Nysa! Come on!" Nysa-Eon smiled, hopping onto the bed with the other kids, waiting for one of her parents to take the book.

Eclipse took the book and started reading.

o.0.o.0.o

 _Starlight and the Kidnapper, Part 4_

Starlight felt the light filter on her face, and she groaned. Morning already?

" _Starlight! Starlight, wake up!"_ Gardevoir screamed in her mind. Starlight groaned mentally.

Suddenly, a acrid smell filled her nostrils. She opened her eyes, only for them to water up from smoke.

Suddenly, a flaming arrow shoots past her, burrowing into the wooden post near her head. She let out a startled scream, rolling out of the bed and next to Gardevoir.

"Where's Eclipse and Yunyi?!" she cried out, whipping around to Gardevoir. Gardevoir, who was trying to keep the hut from collapsing with her powers, glanced to Zoroark.

" _Zoroark says he went for a walk and didn't come back!"_ Gardevoir shouted.

"He's safe, then." Starlight sighed out, relieved. The relief didn't last long, however, as she still didn't see Yunyi or her pokésoul partner, Devoir.

" _I don't know where Yunyi went!"_ Gardevoir exclaimed.

" _No doubt she went running for help."_ Zoroark stated. Starlight hesitated for the briefest of moments, then turned, throwing her shawl over her face so she wouldn't breathe in the smoke, bolting out the door with Gardevoir and Zoroark behind her.

Outside was no better. Members of what was left of the resistance was running about. Jade was desperately trying to keep the order, shouting commands while cradling Pine in her arms. There was no sign of Onyx or Olive anywhere. Starlight flicked her gaze around in a panic. There were random men running about, attacking anything that moved and pillaging the houses. A cackle echoed through the small village.

"Burn, you traitorous maggots!" a woman shrieked. "Burn!"

Starlight snapped her head up at the voice.

"Millennium?"

"Find her!" she heard Millennium yell again. "Find her at any cost!"

Starlight had a sinking feeling she knew who they were searching for. The destruction of the resistance was just an added bonus.

"Blue!" she heard someone shout. Said someone clamped a hand on her shoulder and she shrieked.

"Starlight!" she whipped around, and saw Green with Turquoise sobbing in his arms. "I... I saw your figure and I thought your were Blue. I can't tell who's who in this chaos."

"Have you seen Eclipse or Yunyi anywhere?!" Starlight asked frantically. Green shook his head.

"We have escape boats near the lake." Green said, gaze flicking around as Soul ran by with Opal. "Yunyi's a smart girl. She probably went there. Eclipse can probably handle himself." he glance at the lake. "I hope Blue made it there."

"I'm sure she did." Starlight reassured. They heard footsteps pounding towards them, and both turned, seeing one of the enemy men running towards them, axe raised. With his free hand, Green began dragging Starlight through the burning village. Starlight glanced over her shoulder, seeing that the man was going to catch up sooner or later.

"Green!" she shouted, stopping.

"Do you want to get killed, woman?!" Green exclaimed, whipping around. Starlight ignored him, tapping into her psychic powers. Extending an arm, she used her powers to crush a single bit of wood, and suddenly, a flaming structure collapsed, blocking his path.

"Go, go, go!" she heard Silver exclaim, practically shoving them towards the boats. Starlight did a quick headcount.

Silver and Gold looked prepared to push off with Soul, Crystal, and Emerald. Ruby and Sapphire were in a boat with Black and White, and Carnelian was cradling a shivering Opal with Jade standing overhead doing a headcount. Onyx darted from the flames with a small bundle in his arms. Approaching the boat, Olive's head popped out. Jade let out a strange cross between a sob and a laugh as she took her little girl into her arms. Diamond and Pearl were running towards them both desperately trying to fend off a couple of the brutes from taking the much slower Platinum.

"Greeny!" she heard Blue exclaimed, latching her arms around his neck.

"This is gonna be awesome." Starlight heard Topaz mutter as she climbed out of the boat, holding a glass bottle with a flaming rag stick out of it. "Hey, maggots!" she shouted. The two brutes looked up, giving the trio a chance to escape. Topaz reared back her arm. "Burn in hell, mother*bleep*ers!"

Then she threw the bottle. It shattered upon contact, the flames alighting the rag in an explosion of fire and smoke.

"Where's Yunyi?" Onyx demanded while Jade fussed over her kids. Starlight whipped her head to him.

"I thought she was with you!"

"Well, obviously, she's *bleep*ing not!" Topaz snapped. Starlight glanced back at the flaming village.

"I'm going back to find her." Starlight said, glancing at them. "You guys go!"

"No way!" Opal exclaimed. "You aren't going anywhere!"

"We can't leave Yunyi!" Starlight whipped around, bolting back into the flaming village with hopes of finding the girl.

Ignoring the cries of alarm from some of her new-found friends, she darted under the burning wood, screaming Yunyi's name.

She received but a single response, and not from the person she was expecting.

"Long time no see, Starlight."

"Gardevoir?" she squeaked as a shiver shot up her spine. Starlight didn't get much of a response other than some senseless shouting and worrying. She felt a small jolt of pain, and realized that her partner was caught in a battle. Sending a silent prayer for the safety of her partner, then slowly turned.

Behind her was her elder sister, Millennium, staring coldly at her with as much hatred as Eclipse had for Razan. Starlight took a deep breath, then spoke.

"Millennium."

She practically could feel the temperature change as her mood change from cold hatred to white-hot rage.

"My name is Altair!" she shrieked.

"I-If that's what you want to be called." Starlight said agreeably, deciding the best route was to try to keep her calm as possible. "Listen, Mi-" she cut herself off. "Altair. We don't need to resort to senseless violence. Lets just talk. Whatever you have against me, we can work out."

"Talk?" Altair seethed. "No one ever wants to 'talk'. Mom and Dad sent me away because they wouldn't listen, all those doctors didn't understand." she locked eyes with her, eyes hard like stone. "I was trained by Razan. He understands. Only he. He knew who was the superior out of the two of us, and likewise, he let me keep control."

" _So Altair is aware of Millennium, and most likely the other way around."_ Starlight mused

"But is _this,"_ Starlight gestured around her. "Right, Altair? They're families, with small children, like our own."

"I hate my family." Altair responded. "I hate _you."_

"Why? Why do you hate me so much?"

This was the strange thing about her sister. Ever since Altair showed up, she held this inexplicable hate towards her. No explanation, no reasoning why. Just a burning hate, enough to actually want to kill her.

"Because you're you." Altair stated cryptically, then lashed out. Starlight instinctively crossed her arms over her head, summoning a barrier to block her. Altair smirked. "Not going to fight back, Starlight?"

"I don't want to hurt you." Starlight said, shaking her head, obviously conflicted. "You're my sister. I know you don't want to hurt me either."

"You're right." Altair said after a moment of silence. Starlight glanced up, wondering if she had seen the light or perhaps Millennium was forcing herself forward. This hope was cut off as Altair lashed forward. "You couldn't hurt me even if you tried!"

Starlight stumbled to the left, narrowly avoiding getting a knife to her neck.

"You're not my sister!" Altair continued. "You're the reason Mom and Dad sent me away!"

Starlight wasn't even sure how she came up with that.

"You're useless and lazy! All you were ever good for was sitting down and looking pretty! You rely to much on that _bond_ of yours. You're _weak!"_ she spat the last word out.

"I don't rely on anything, Altair!" Starlight shouted back. "My partner is important to me! I need her by my side! Where's yours?"

"I don't need him!"

"Altair, where is Victini?" Starlight asked again.

"I said I don't need him! I'm strong on my own! I'm not like you! I don't need to rely on some _beast_ for protection!"

Another surge of pain entered her mind. Gardevoir must have been hit by something super effective.

Then nothing.

" _Gardevoir?"_ she asked telepathically. No response. Was she knocked out?

"Guess Dusknoir finally got rid of that annoying pest." Altair said, voice full of smug contempt. "Now you really don't stand a chance."

"I don't want to fight you." Starlight said, grasping at straws at this point. "Millennium. _Please._ It doesn't have to be this way. You don't hate me!"

"Millennium is gone!" Altair yelled. "I'm in control! I've eliminated her!"

"No she's not!"

"Just _SHUT UP!"_ Altair screamed, lunging at her and clamping her hands around Starlight's neck. Starlight immediately wrapped her hands around her sisters wrists, trying to pry her off.

"Millennium!" she exclaimed, trying to keep the pressure off her throat. Starlight felt a small connection to her partner again, and, with all she was worth, blasted as many happy memories between her and Millennium as possible via a mental link

It was a sudden whirlwind, really. Not being able to breathe for the briefest of moments. A flicker of change on Altairs face, the pressure being relieved. Slowly, her hands moved from Starlight's throat, down to her shoulders.

"Starlight?" she asked, voice coming out much gentler, though judging from the look on her face, Starlight realized that she was now talking to Millennium.

"Millennium?"

Then there was a startled scream, a flash of purple and black, a grunt of pain from Millennium, then nothing but the continued crackling of burning wood.

o.0.o.0.o

Eclipse blinked as he smelled smoke in the air. Slowly, he turned, glancing back at the tiny resistance village.

His stomach dropped at the sight.

He could faintly see the flames flickering up.

"No..." he muttered, images of his own burning childhood home flashing through his mind. Without even thinking, he bolted back towards the village, every other instinct saying to stay away from the danger, though he continued running. He couldn't understand why or how he would run headlong into danger. Sure, he'd be disappointed if the resistance was suddenly wiped out, and he truly didn't need Starlight. He was determined and patient enough to find another to help him.

Perhaps it was because couldn't watch another person die because of Razan. Not by army. Not by assassins. And especially not by fire. Maybe it was because this incident was hitting to close to home, what with his mother dying the exact same way.

He bolted back into the village, his deepest fears confirmed.

"Starlight!" he bellowed as he reached the village, eyes flicking over the ruins. "Zoroark! Starlight!" Nothing. "Arceus be *bleep*ed, answer me!"

Someone charged at him. Eclipse turned, practically ripping the eyepatch from his head, blasting him away. Holding his eye closed and ignoring the burning sensation behind the lid, he bolted towards the nearest cottage, kicking it open. He glanced inside, searching for Starlight, Yunyi, or their partners.

" _Zoroark!"_ he demanded, using the telepathic bond he held with the dark-type.

" _Hey, little busy here, wise*bleep*."_ Zoroark responded with a grunt. " _Starlight ran off to find Yunyi and Devoir and Gardevoir is out cold."_

" _That idiot!"_ Eclipse hissed as he continued kicking down doors with hopes to find her.

" _My words exactly."_ Zoroark said. " _Keep an eye out for Yunyi too. I'm trying to keep this *bleep*ed Dusknoir from killing all of us."_

" _Affirmative."_ Eclipse said, still holding his eye closed. He strained his ears for something, anything, blasting away any of Razan's men.

"Eclipse!"

He whirled around at the sound of the girls voice, blinking at Yunyi cradling Devoir, the latter with burns across her body, eyes closed. Yunyi had tears streaming down her face, obviously scared.

"I woke up to search for you. When I didn't find you, I came back only to find the village on fire and everyone gone!" she sniffled, reaching up to rub her face, only to streak black soot across her cheek. "I could only find Devoir, but she's... she's pretty beat up."

Yunyi fell into another round of shaking sobs. As if to comfort her, Devoir opened her eyes. Eclipse felt his heart jerk at the sobbing girl.

"Listen, kid." Eclipse said. "Devoir is conscious, so you still have your powers, right?"

Yunyi glanced up, then nodded.

"Help me track down Starlight, then we'll find a way to catch up with the resistance."

"O-Okay."

"Good." Eclipse said. With one arm, he scooped up the small girl and bolted. He passed her his eyepatch. "Hold this, don't loose it, got it?" Yunyi nodded, curling into a little ball, as if trying to shield herself from the chaos around her as much as possible. "Now just tell me where to go."

While Yunyi gave directions, Eclipse continued to dodge or attack random barbarians that ran up to attack them. He didn't want to scare the living daylights out of the already shaking girl by suddenly unleashing destructive darkness. He was silently hoping,

"She's over there!" Yunyi exclaimed, sounding a little more excited. Eclipse grunted in response, jumping over some more ruble. Eclipse just barely saw a woman with her hands near Starlight's neck, perhaps with intent to do harm. Yunyi let out a startled cry. "Starlight!"

With an inexplicable rage, Eclipse bolted across the small space between them, and slammed his free fist into the older woman's face. Starlight collapsed to her knees, hands going to her throat as she stared at the woman.

"Hold her." Eclipse growled, practically shoving Yunyi into her arms. Pulling a knife from his belt that he had, all in all, forgotten about in the midst of the action.

"Eclipse!" Starlight cried out, darting in front of him, in between him and the woman. "Don't hurt her!"

"Why?" Eclipse growled out.

"She's my sister." Starlight glanced over her shoulder at the woman, still holding Yunyi. "Please, don't hurt her."

"She tried to kill you." Eclipse stated.

"She's not herself." Starlight murmured. "Please believe me. We can restrain her. She has information on Razan. She can be useful." a pause as she averted her gaze. "I... I can fix her. Like I can try to fix you." she glanced up at him. "Please don't hurt her."

Eclipse stared at her for a moment.

"You." Both turned, and Eclipse saw the woman he had punched rising again. "I'll kill you!"

Eclipse shoved Starlight to the side and rammed his fist into the woman's stomach, then a sharp right hook under her chin. Her head snapped back, and then she collapsed like a doll.

"No you won't." Eclipse stated simply. He turned to Starlight. "Are you sure you want to take her with us?"

"She shouldn't be able to hurt us if we keep her unconscious or restrained." Starlight murmured. "She really is a good person at heart. She... doesn't know what's going on herself."

"You're not making sense." Eclipse stated.

"I'll explain it once we're out of harms way." Starlight sighed. Eclipse didn't respond, reaching for Starlight's long skirt.

"Hey!" Starlight said, trying to kick him in the face. Eclipse stared blankly at her.

"Don't flatter yourself." he stated, tearing a long shred till it was above her knees. He moved back to Starlight's sister, binding her hands behind her back with said strip. "I'm not going to have her wake up and stab me in the back while I'm carrying her. Besides, now you can run easier."

"I... suppose."

"Good." he hefted her over his shoulder.

"The resistance has set up boats. I told them to wait, but if they did..."

"Jade would make someone wait." Yunyi whispered. "No one gets left behind. And if they left without us, they left us a boat. I can lead the way to the safe spot."

o.0.o.0.o

"Yunyi! You're alive!" Emerald exclaimed.

Starlight let out a sigh of relief as they reached the small little wood cabin. After they had retrieved Gardevoir and Zoroark, it didn't take long at all for Yunyi to lead them to safe spot, which turned out to be a well hidden cabin further up the stream. They had to pass under a waterfall, in which there was a cave. After tying their boat off with the others, much to Yunyi's relief, they went through the cave. At the other end was an opening to a small clearing, where Emerald had promptly greeted them after catching sight of them.

"Alive and well." Eclipse grunted. "Where's everyone else?"

"Getting treated for injuries." Emerald said. "We all got out, but not entirely unscathed."

"That's a relief." Starlight sighed. "I know it's a little late, but we need to speak to Jade."

"Jade's probably up anyways." Emerald nodded, leading her inside the cabin. Inside, they saw Jade sitting at the table, hands folded and leaning over, looking, all and all, stressed.

"See what I mean?" Emerald muttered before taking on a gentler tone. "Jade?" The blind girl snapped her head up, whipping in the direction of his voice. Masking her stress, she stood.

"What?"

"Starlight, Yunyi, and Eclipse are here. And Eclipse is carrying someone."

Jade blinked.

"A hostage?" she asked.

"Right." Eclipse responded, settling Altair into a chair.

"Go to bed, Jade." Emerald said. Jade opened her mouth, as if preparing to protest. "If you don't, I'll wake up Pine." Jade snapped her mouth shut.

"I swear, if you wake him up, I'll-"

"Do nothing because you're going to bed." Emerald said.

"... Who's going to keep watch on her?" Jade said.

"I will." Eclipse said, pulling up his own chair. "I'm awake as it is. The rest of you go to bed."

"I'll head back out for nightwatch." Emerald said, offering a wave. As the smaller boy left the room, Jade ran a hand down her face.

"He'll really wake up that little rascal if I don't go to bed." Jade said. "Then no one will sleep." her hand dropped to her side, turning to Starlight and Yunyi. "We're running out of space in terms of room, but there's a queen-sized mattress in the attic. Your pokémon are your responsibility, however, so they stay with you. Are you okay with that, Yunyi? Starlight?"

"We're fine." Starlight said.

"I'll show them the way!" Yunyi offered. Jade sighed.

"Good." she climbed up the single flight of stairs, preparing to sleep under Emeralds threat. Yunyi yawned.

"Well, are you going to sleep or what?" Eclipse asked. Starlight kept her gaze on her sister.

"Why hasn't she woken up yet?"

Eclipse shrugged.

"She'll be okay, right?"

"Most likely." Eclipse said. A pause. "Listen," Eclipse said, crossing his arms in his chair. "She'll be fine in the morning. Go to sleep before you pass out and I have to carry you again."

Starlight blinked. Was that his attempt at comfort? It was a crude attempt, yes, but... it was appreciated.

"Okay." Starlight said, deciding to go up the stairs with Yunyi close behind. "And Eclipse?"

He cast her a glance. She smiled.

"Thanks."

o.0.o.0.o

 _"I'll be back soon!" a woman said as she left the small family home. Finally, he had the house to himself. Eclipse waited a few minutes to be sure his mother wasn't returning, then he dropped his book on the table and walked by the livingroom. His father hardly noticed him moving. He scowled, going up the stairs._

 _His eyes stared at the door he wasn't meant to open for a second before he pushed it open defiantly._

" _ **Are you sure about this, wise*bleep*?**_ " _Zorua asked._

" _ **Yes,**_ " _Eclipse replied. "_ _ **I want my mind to myself, don't you?**_ "

" _ **I don't care either way.**_ "

" _ **Well I want my own mind and this is the way to do it.**_ "

" _ **Have fun getting chewed out, Mama's boy."**_

 _Eclipse ignored Zorua and entered the room, momentarily gazing in awe at all the books surrounding him. These were his mother's magical tomes and ones she didn't want Eclipse to mess with. He was sure though, that he could do it. That he could sever the link between him and the Pokémon that prevented him from having any thoughts to himself. Pokésouls were abominations and Eclipse didn't want to be one._

 _Eclipse immediately began searching through the shelves with little help from his partner. He eventually found the book in he was looking for, smiling slightly to himself._

 _He flipped through the book to the page said that it was a severance spell and that it could sever any mental connection to one's mind. Eclipse shoved the book under his shirt and snuck the forbidden book out of the room._

o.0.o.0.o

 _Eclipse waited a few days, ducking in and out of the room, gathering the proper ingredients for the spell. He studied the drawing and the spell until he was sure he had it memorized, then, with the bag of items in hand, snuck out of the house in the dead of night._

" _ **You sure, Mama's boy?"**_ _Zoura asked, watching him curiously._

" _ **I'm sure."**_

 _The boy and the Pokémon made their way outside to an empty clearing away from the town and Eclipse propped open the book and drew a large diagram in the dirt. He lit the candles as instructed, sprinkling salt and crushed gemstones around the outside of the diagram. He then stood atop it and held the herbs in his hand._

 _He glanced at Zorua who was a silent presence in his head. No wise cracks. Just silence. Even when Zorua wasn't really thinking of anything Eclipse could still hear him. It wasn't right. With these thoughts, Eclipse tossed the herbs into the air._

 _"Sever!"_

 _An intense pain racked his skull and Eclipse fell to his knees, biting back a scream. It hurt, but that meant it was working right? He felt the book and the ingredients fly around him as there was another blast of pain, this time behind his eye._

 _He dropped to his knees. His eyes had closed in shock and he lay on the ground, shaking. After a while the pain stopped and Eclipse dared to hope it had worked. Was he free?_

" _ **Zorua?"**_ _He asked. No response. With excitement, he opened his eyes._

 _Then something exploded._

 _The tree in front of him was being blasted with dark energy. He averted his gaze to the ground which immediately caught fire with the black energy._

 _What's happening? He wondered in panic. Everywhere he looked was eaten by darkness. Finally he clasped his hands over his eyes. The sounds of destruction stopped. He opened them. Destruction began. He closed them._

 _What... What did he do?_

 _"Eclipse!" His mother screamed. He heard her footsteps and then he was in her arms. He felt tears dribbling down his cheeks."What happened?"_

 _"I tried to break the bond," Eclipse admitted as the burning sensation behind his right eye continued._

 _His mother held his face in her hands and he could feel her mind touching his._

" _It didn't work," she told him gently. "Your bond seems even stronger now." Eclipse slumped at the words. "Why did you want to break your bond?"_

 _"I want my mind to myself," Eclipse said._

 _"But Zorua is your partner. He's a friend."_

 _"But dad always says-"_

 _"You shouldn't always listen to what your father says," his mother cut off gently. As they spoke she had continued gently probing his mind and now her presence withdrew. "I've never seen anything quite like this. You seem to have a permanent link to Zorua's powers now."_

 _"What does that mean?"_

 _"Before you chose when to use Zorua's powers, now it's always connected. Open your left eye."_

 _"No!"_

 _"I promise it won't hurt. Just keep your right one closed."_

 _Eclipse slowly opened one eye. No darkness appeared. Finally able to see without causing destruction he saw Zorua, unconscious on the ground. No wonder he hadn't answered._

 _"Your bond is linked to your right eye now. If you open it..."_

 _"I won't," Eclipse promised. His mother stood and Eclipse did so as well. She picked up Zorua and led Eclipse back to the house._

o.0.o.0.o

Starlight slowly moved her hands from Eclipse's temples. Gardevoir was staring disapprovingly at her from the staircase.

"I had to know, Gardevoir." Starlight whispered simply. "I had to know what he did."

" _You know it's rude to do that without asking."_

"It's not like I hadn't done it before!" Starlight meekly defended, recalling earlier in the night. Gardevoir kept her heavy gaze on him. "I've learned a lot from this journey." Starlight closed her eyes, chuckling. "Here I am, a psychic soul, and the kid with the eyepatch opened my eyes. I owe him." she glanced back at Eclipse, who hardly seemed disturbed. "I need to fix what's wrong with his bond. In order to do that, I needed to know what he did to break it."

" _Apologize."_ Gardevoir said, uncaring of Starlight's excuse. Starlight glanced between her and Eclipse, then sighed.

"I'm sorry." Starlight murmured in his ear. She bolted back towards the stairs, hoping that he wouldn't wake up.

Unbeknownst to her, Eclipse cracked his single eye open. He listened to Starlight shuffling about upstairs. Honestly, he had every right to be angry, but, in a surprising twist of personality, he found himself rather amused, maybe even touched. No one actually took the time to get to know him, let alone actually invade his privacy just because they owed him a favor.

Most of the time, he had to threaten people just to get them to pay back a favor.

With a small smirk on his face, he crossed his arms and settled back into the chair.

o.0.o.0.o

"So what's the story with this woman?" Onyx asked as morning came round. Though it was a tight fit, they somehow managed to fit everyone in the foyer of the cabin, the kids, including Yunyi, still asleep upstairs.

Mostly everyone was awake and attentive, despite being slightly sleepy, with the exception of Eclipse. He was sitting in the same dining room chair he had taken last night with his arms crossed, head down as he slept. Everyone was careful to avoid him and the chair, as they were afraid of what would happen should they wake him.

"I recognize her." Crystal said, staring at the still unconscious Altair. "This is Razan's best assassin, Altair."

"So she's got useful information." Jade summarized.

"Sure she does, if she doesn't kill us first." Gold said, glancing back at Eclipse. "Do you really think he restrained her well enough?"

"This is my sister we're talking about and she's _fine."_ Starlight snapped. "She's not going to kill anyone."

"Sister?" echoed Opal, cocking her head.

"You never mentioned that your sister works for people who are trying to kill you." Green said, raising an eyebrow.

"For all I know, he might be after me because of her." Starlight admitted.

"Ouch." Blue winced. "Not much of a family bond, eh?"

"That's not true!" Starlight exclaimed. There was a heavy pause at her outburst as everyone's eyes shot to Eclipse. Under the threat of about ten death threats if he was woken, no one wanted to be the one to blame for waking him up. Seeing that he was still asleep, they glanced back at her. "That's not true." Starlight said in a quieter tone. "The person you saw last night isn't my sister, so to speak."

"Hey, Jade. I think she's gone *bleep*ing bonkers." Topaz muttered. Starlight shot her a glare.

"What I'm saying is that her name isn't even Altair. It's actually Millennium."

"So she changed her name." Silver said dryly.

"She probably just didn't want you or your family to know that she was in that line of work." Soul offered kindly. Starlight smiled appreciatively at her.

"If it was only that." Starlight murmured. "You see, Millennium didn't leave us. _We_ sent her to Razan. Now before you go yelling at me," Starlight said, cutting off the protests before they could begin. "That was about five years ago, when I was thirteen and she was sixteen. My father is a supporter of pokésouls and Razan, and when I couldn't help her, he decided that maybe Razan, who, as you know, treats smaller villages kindly, could."

"Help her...? So is _she_ *bleep*ing bonkers?" Topaz asked.

"She's not 'bonkers'." Starlight said with a glare. "She's got two different personalities."

"... I'm sorry," Gold said. "But that sounds bonkers."

"Gold, it's a serious condition!" Crystal hissed.

"Wait, hold on a minute." Pearl said, waving his hands in front of his face. "Are you saying Altair is one person and Millennium is the other?"

"Yes."

"And they're... kind of sharing their body, right?"

"That's correct."

Pearl ran a hand down his face, as if confused.

"I don't get it."

"Not many do." Starlight agreed.

"So how did this happen? Was she born that way? Or did it just develop over time?" Opal pondered curiously.

"It's a long story." Starlight sighed. "About six years ago, Millennium left home to find her partner. She's a pokésoul."

"She is?" Carnelian asked.

"How is that? We would have known if Razan's best assassin was a pokésoul." Jade mused quietly.

"Now that I think about it..." Crystal trailed off. "Some of the other servants used to talk about a rare pokémon that would follow her around. It suddenly stopped showing up, so they assumed it got bored and ran off."

"What's her partner?" Soul suddenly asked.

"Victini." Starlight answered.

Suddenly, there was hacking noise from the other end of the room, Everyone turned their gaze to White, who had seemingly choked on the water she was drinking. Black slammed his hand on her back in an attempt to help.

"Did you..." White wheezed. "Really have to hit me so hard, Black?"

"What's wrong, White?" Onyx asked. White glanced at them.

"I was surprised, that's all." she said, waving her hand in front of her face. "Victini is a legend where we come from, in Unova, so the fact that Millennium is partnered with it was kind of shocking." she turned to Starlight. "Do you know if Victini is still alive?"

"As far as I know, yes." Starlight responded. "Anyways, Victini knew he couldn't travel alone, what being a legend and all. So he decided to wait for Millennium to come to him."

"Then what happened?" White asked.

"I don't know, and I'm not even sure if Millennium does. When she arrived at the island that Victini was on, she wasn't there long. Someone grabbed her shoulder and that's when she woke up. Judging from what I know, someone beat her to the point of being barely alive. Arceus bless Victini for defending her, but the damage was done."

"You read her mind without permission?" Silver looked uncomfortable just saying that.

"Not one of my prouder moments. Altair was, to say the least, mad." Starlight sighed. "Now that I think about it, that's probably why Mom and Dad sent her to Razan. He told us he'd have the problem solved in a year. A year came and a year went. Then another year. And another year. After the second year, letters stopped coming from Millennium. Razan stopped sending us updates on her condition. The last contact I had with her was about two years ago, and it was a letter full of hate and unspeakable rage from Altair."

"That's so sad..." Soul trailed off.

"So... Altair just showed up? Like that?" Carnelian snapped his fingers for emphasis.

"Essentially." Starlight said. "In a way, it makes sense. Millennium is very weak and shy. She's always picking where others are slacking off, simply to keep things steady. I think Altair was created as a way to cope with the attack. She's strong, confident, and ruthless. A complete one-eighty from what Millennium is."

"This still doesn't explain why she hates you." Green said. Starlight shrugged.

"She has it in her head that I'm perfect. She thinks I'm the reason Mom and Dad sent her away, which, of course, isn't true. But that's what Altair thinks so I guess that's what she's going to believe."

"Are you done yet? My I vomit?"

Everyone jolted, snapping their gaze to Altair, glaring venomously at them.

"Yes, I'm awake, you simple-minded idiots. I'm awake and I've been thinking about all the ways to kill that *bleep* over there." she jerked her head to Starlight, who flinched. Starlight composed herself, then sighed.

"Millennium." she stated simply. Altair glared at her.

"No."

"I want to speak to Millennium."

"Millennium isn't here." she said, ducking her head down.

"Starlight. Altair is the one with all the info, right?" Jade muttered.

"I want to speak to Millennium." Starlight said again.

" _I TOLD YOU MILLENNIUM IS GONE!"_ Altair shrieked, wrenching her arms against her bonds, shaking the chair back and forth as if hoping to break free to lunge at Starlight.

There was grunt from the other end of the room. Everyone froze then slowly turned their gaze to Eclipse, who blinked his visible eye open. Without saying a word, he stood up and sauntered out of the house. No one said a word for the few minutes he was gone. Eclipse came back in a few moments later with a bucket of water in his hands.

"Eclipse-" Starlight started, only to get cut off as he dumped the contents onto Altairs head. She sputtered in surprise, glaring daggers at him. Eclipse simply put the bucket over her head.

"Wake me up one more time and I'll drown you in the bucket." he said, going back to his chair and settling down again.

"Well, then." Gold murmured as Altair seethed in her chair, trying to shake the bucket off of her head. "Never heard that one before."

o.0.o.0.o

"You're just going to kill them all, you know." Altair said to Starlight.

After Altair had willingly given up some truth to Jade about Razan and his castle, this Starlight knew thanks to her powers, they had moved her to the basement. Though initially confused as to why she would give up such information, Starlight said simply that Altair liked chaos, and probably wanted to stir up the Beedrills nest to see what would happen.

Starlight sat on the stairs at the farther end of the basement, her chin resting in her hands, staring at her older sister, against Jade's orders to steer clear of the woman. Gardevoir was standing guard at the top, in case Altair tried anything.

She simply sat, watching the woman, wondering where the years had gone, what had happened to the little girl that would distract her parents while she snagged cookies with her powers. The assassin sat in the corner with her hands still bound, smirking at her younger sister.

"It's quite a tragedy, really." Altair shrugged. "They're smart. Shame they're all going to die."

"What's your earliest memory, Altair?" Starlight asked.

"That's none of your business." Altair snarled.

"My earliest memory with you was when I was four, just growing into my powers. We wanted some brownies. Brownies are your favorite, remember? You tried distracting Mom and Dad while I levitated them down. We were just kids, and you weren't all that good at distracting yet. I grabbed the pan with my hand, and it burned it." she held up her palm, still baring the burn scar. "I still have the scar from that one time."

"Good." Altair spat.

"What about Luna and Sunny? Remember when they came home?" Starlight smiled. "You were always so good with kids."

"How are they?"

Starlight blinked at her softer tone. Had she triggered something?

"They miss you." Starlight said softly, folding her hands. "They love you very much, you know? They're still in their drawing phase, and they've drawn pictures of you too."

"They... miss me?"

"Very much." Starlight said, picking up the confused tone.

"I..."

"Millennium?" Starlight asked hopefully.

"Starlight?" she jerked her arms, only to find them bound. "What's going on?! Were we... kidnapped?!"

"No!" Starlight said, bolting up, not wanting her panic to switch her back to Altair. "It's fine. We're with friends right now."

"Then... why am I tied up?"

"... Um..."

"Was I doing bad things?" Millennium asked guiltily, if not innocently. "Victini... was telling me that I was doing bad things... He kept telling me I needed to stop." a pause. "Where _is_ Victini, anyways?"

"I'm not sure." Starlight said, absolutely overjoyed to have her sister back. "But I'm sure that we can find him!"

"You'll help me look?"

"Once we get out of this mess, yeah."

"Starlight."

Starlight blinked, turning as Eclipse descended the stairs. Why hadn't Gardevoir warned her?

"You shouldn't be down here." Eclipse stated, stopping next to her.

"But-" Starlight turned her gaze back to Millennium, only to be met with a hateful glare. She wasn't Millennium anymore. "Oh..."

Eclipse gently steered her towards the stairs, leaving Altair to stew.

"Did she say anything?" Eclipse asked.

"Nothing that we don't already know." Starlight sighed. "She went back to Millennium for a little bit."

"...I interrupted that, didn't I?" Eclipse said after a pause. Starlight nodded. "I'm sorry."

"You don't seem like the type to apologize." Starlight said, rolling her eyes. Eclipse crossed his arms.

"I only did it because I don't need an annoying crying woman following me around. I don't do it often so don't start expecting it."

Starlight laughed. She knew he meant it.

o.0.o.0.o

Razan angrily glared at the reflection in the mirror. This was turning out harder than he planned. Never had he faced such a challenge executing a rival, and she wasn't even a fully grown adult. She was a girl! An eighteen-year-old _girl_ who escaped Lucinda and Sky, captured Altair, and overall, was going from an amusing insect trying to escape death to a pest whom he wished to crush.

" _Well, you know what they say,"_ Hypno said with a shrug. " _You want something done right, you do it yourself."_

"I'm not chasing down the resistance." Razan said, turning and walking out of the room. "It's not worth the effort."

" _Then what do you propose we do?"_

"I propose," Razan said, throwing open a door that was forbidden to everyone in the castle. "That we bring her to us." He began climbing down the stairs, taking them nearly two at a time until he came to most secret part of his castle, a room that not even Altair, his most trusted agent, knew the location of.

His spell lab.

He glared at every book he had as he went through them, recalling Sky and Lucinda tricking him and Altair betraying him. Snarling, he glanced through spellbooks, looking for a particularly painful death spell for the girl, just for causing him so much trouble.

" _Lets not make it messy, now."_ Hypno said, flicking through books himself. He grinned, jabbing his finger at particular concoction. " _Here."_

Razan glanced at it.

"The poison apple." he read. "One taste of the poison apple and the victim's eyes will close, sending them into the Sleeping Death. The ingredients are Morpheus Greed, Sting of Draphion, Dark of Night, Cacturn Needles, Thunderbolt, and a Green Apple." he glanced up at Hypno with a flat look.

" _Think about it."_ Hypno said. " _We've got some pretty nasty stuff in this thing. It'll be a painful death. Then the body will look pretty enough for us to put on display for the entire resistance to see."_

"I don't want to scare the villagers." Razan said, sounding genuine.

" _We don't have to."_ Hypno reassured. " _We can just kill her in the castle, put the corpse in a glass casket or something, and have it on full display when the resistance comes storming in to rescue her. Then we slaughter them all, get the trouble out of the way, and go on with our lives, end of."_

Razan paused a moment.

"Are there weaknesses?" Razan asked, flicking through the pages.

" _Only true love's kiss."_ Hypno said. Razan stared at him.

"Seriously?"

" _Seriously."_

"Wow. Just... wow."

" _I know."_ Hypno rolled his eyes. " _Further proof of how effective this is. No one would believe that's the cure and no one,_ _ **no one**_ _, is desperate enough to kiss a corpse."_

"I'll take care of the apple," Razan smirked, turning to the shelf of ingredients. "You can bring the girl here, right?"

Hypno smirked.

" _Easy."_

o.0.o.0.o

Later that night, Yunyi awoke to someone shuffling around downstairs. At first, she thought it was someone leaving to use the restroom, but the shuffling continued, as if the person was confused.

"Devoir." she whispered, shaking her partner awake. "Devoir!" The kirlia blearily opened her eyes, blinking at Yunyi. "Someone's downstairs." Devoir was silent for a moment.

" _It's just Starlight."_ Devoir settled back into bed. " _Go back to sleep._ "

"I don't know..." Yunyi murmured. "I'm just going to go check on her, okay?"

" _Don't wake up Eclipse."_ Devoir responded. Yunyi smiled.

"I know."

She quietly stepped around the beds that six-year-old Turquoise and four-year-old Pine and Olive, then went down the stairs, slightly wincing at each creaking step.

"Starlight?" she asked, seeing the young woman walking around, as if in a daze. She hardly responded, opening the door. Yunyi blinked. Was she sleepwalking? What was she supposed to do if someone was sleepwalking? You weren't supposed to wake them up, right?

But she was going outside. What if she fell in the river? She would drown!

"Starlight!" she exclaimed, walking outside. She felt a shiver go down her spine as she sensed a powerful psychic presence. She knew this presence, way back when she was just a child... When _he_ came to visit...

"Jade!" she screamed, to scared to go any further but terrified to leave Starlight alone. "Onyx! Someone! Razan's here!" she felt herself tearing up. "He's taking Starlight away!"

The front door suddenly slammed open, and there stood Eclipse, hand over his eyepatch. He paused, realizing both Yunyi and Starlight was in the way, then dropped his hand.

He then bolted across the yard, looking ready to tackle Starlight, when both he and Yunyi were suddenly sent flying back. Yunyi slammed into the ground, skidding a few feet. Eclipse landed with a tremendous crash. Yunyi feebly got to her knees, terrified at the power. Who's was that? That wasn't... wasn't Razan... his power, she felt it before. It crushed her home. Her parents. It wasn't him...

She glanced up, and saw Starlight standing before them with her hand outstretched, eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, a look Yunyi hardly recognized on her face. The expression was so uncannily similar to the one that Altair-Millennium wore whenever she looked at Starlight, it made Yunyi visibly wince. The ground next to her was suddenly crushed. She shrieked, realizing that Eclipse was there. Scrambling back, she looked up at Starlight. Right next to her was a Hypno, eyes glowing blue. So it was Razan's Hypno she had sensed. But that unfamiliar power...

Hypno was controlling Starlight. He was tapping into Starlight's powers, using them as a weapon against them.

Once Hypno had his fun, there was a crater in the ground that Eclipse was at the bottom of, and Starlight was gone, disappeared in the flash of a teleport.

o.0.o.0.o

Starlight blinked as she glanced around her, finding herself not on the simplistic bed of the resistance cottage, but that of a queen, with silken sheets and heavy down comforters thrown over her.

She slowly pushed the blankets off, confused. Where was Gardevoir? Yunyi? The resistance?

Where was Eclipse?

" _Gardevoir?"_ she tried. No response. Nothing.

She jolted slightly as the door suddenly opened. She whipped around and saw a maid standing there.

"Good morning!" she chirped. "Isn't today glorious?"

Starlight felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Good morning." Starlight said hesitantly, not wanting to alarm the brainwashed girl.

"The king wants you to join him for a meal! Come, lets get you ready!"

Starlight hardly said a word as the girl flitted around, brushing her hair and getting her into a more presentable dress, that being a purple dress accented with a dark gray underlayer and a gray rose centered under the bust.

"You look glorious!" the maid exclaimed. "Razan is glorious! The world is glorious! Today is glorious!"

Starlight decided she was going to keep track of how many times she said glorious. Was that Razan's favorite word or something?

They approached what Starlight assumed was the dining room with surprising quickness, now at twenty-two glorious's. Glorisie? Is there even a plural for glorious?

"Have a glorious meal, glorious friend!"

Twenty-three. Twenty-four.

The maid pushed open the room, and Starlight walked inside, surprised to see that, instead of dining room, was a throne room. At the end, sitting in an elaborate throne, was Razan. She briefly wondered if it was possible for her to make a run for it now. No way would she stand a chance without Gardevoir.

This man was dangerous, she had to remember. Even after all she had seen, the straw that broke the camerupts back was the failure to help Millennium. Her parents had trusted him to use his gifts to help her. He didn't make Millennium better. Rather, he made her worse.

Now, like all of the people in the resistance, she too had a reason to distrust Razan.

"Is that what you really think?" Razan questioned, standing up. Starlight said nothing, but began naming off the baked goods at her fathers shop in her head, so to keep him from reading her thoughts.

 _Chocolate chip cookies. Sugar cookies. Chocolate cake. Kalosian bread. Kalos braids..._

"Smart girl." Razan said with a gentle smile. Starlight felt her thoughts fumble a bit, but continued on with the list.

 _Wheat bread. Brownies. Cinnamon bread._

"What has that resistance told you, Starlight? That I'm a horrible person that executes innocent people?"

"In simple words, yes." Starlight said.

"That hurts." Razan said simply, picking up an apple from a random fruit bowl next to him, one side red and the other colored green. "Apple?"

She could practically hear Eclipse's voice. _Don't trust him, moron!_

"You don't believe me?" Razan said, frowning. He sighed, then took a bite from the greener side. "Sad thing. They are so good too." Razan chewed the bite then swallowed, holding it out again. "Still don't believe me?"

Starlight glanced at the apple.

"Just one bite. I won't bother you or your friends ever again if you do."

She hesitated.

"I'll tell you where Victini is to help your sister."

Starlight blinked at that. Warning bells were going off in her head not to trust him, to run for the hills back to Eclipse and the resistance, but to help Millennium... To bring her home, normal and happy again...

What was one bite of an apple worth to that?

She took the apple from his grasp and sank her teeth into the red skin of the apple.

A moment of silence.

Then a sudden icy coldness clutched at her chest. Her breathing suddenly hitched and became labored. She felt as if she were choking. She tried forming some sort of plea for help, only the words came out in a whimper.

The last thing she saw before she passed out was Razan smirking victoriously over her.

o.0.o.0.o

"We're putting this plan into high gear right now." Jade said as the occupants hurried about the house, trying to get ready to go rescue Starlight. Eclipse sat in the corner, resting from the blows he was delivered earlier this morning. He was bruised up a bit, but nothing was really broken or hurt, so he was fine, but Yunyi was so stricken with worry he forced him to stay seated. Gardevoir was beside herself with worry and shame for letting her partner get kidnapped, and even Zoroark had enough sense not to say anything. "Emerald, you stay here with the kids. Yunyi, do you mind fighting? A psychic soul would be useful for against him, at least until we can reunite Starlight and Gardevoir."

Yunyi nodded, a new determination in her eyes.

"We're just going to charge in? No plan of attack?" even Onyx sounded skeptic. "That's unlike you. You sure, Jade?"

"He can predict all our formulated attacks, so we need to attack as loud and clamorously as possible in order to throw him off track." Jade stated simply. "Plus we need to get there as quickly as possible."

"So we get there," Topaz said, heaving what looked like a large bag of explosives over her shoulder. "And essentially go zubat*bleep* crazy?"

"Essentially." Jade nodded. Topaz grinned wildly, shoving some more explosives into the already bulging bag.

"I'm gonna burn that *bleep*er to the ground." Topaz snickered.

No one paid her any mind, probably because everyone else was either agreeing, mad because she thought of it first, or thinking their own way of burning the *bleep*er to the ground.

o.0.o.0.o

It was a fairly quick ride to the castle. Well, teleport, thanks to the combined efforts of Gardevoir and Devoir, but Eclipse was just going to say ride.

He impatiently watched as Topaz began rigging up the front wall with explosives.

"Can you hurry up?" he snapped. Topaz glared at him.

"These things are *bleep*ing delicate, *bleep*hole."

Eclipse waited about another minute before he stomped forward, at the end of his patience, wrenching Topaz away.

"What the mother*bleep*ing hell, you *bleep*er?" Topaz hissed as Eclipse stepped back.

"You're taking to long. If Starlight's dead, I'm going to place you in my line of fire." Eclipse hissed to Topaz. "You wanted loud and clamorous, right?" Eclipse demanded to Jade.

"That's the general idea." Jade said, staring at him expectantly. Eclipse reached up and undid his eyepatch.

"Then stand back."

o.0.o.0.o

Yellow let out a shriek as the entire castle shook. An earthquake?!

"Yellow!" she snapped her head up to Red, standing in the doorway. Rather than looking worried, he looked elated. "It's happening."

"What's happening?" she whimpered, getting over the earthquake.

"The attack! Jade's initiating the attack!" Red said. Yellow widened her eyes. That explosion was from the Resistance?! He grabbed her hand, dragging her into the hallway and to the window. Outside, Yellow saw a gaping hole in the wall, the terrain from there towards the castle torn up. The castle also had a gaping hole, smoke filtering up from where the explosion had hit.

"W...What did Topaz _use?!"_ Yellow exclaimed.

"Doesn't matter!" Red said as they ducked back into the medical wing. Red wrenched open a cabinet and pulled a sword from it. He took one of her spellbooks off the shelf and tossed it to her. "Come on! I'm not missing out on this!"

They rushed out of the room, only to run smack dab into the very person they didn't want to see.

"Going somewhere?" Razan smirked, crossing his arms. His Hypno mimicked the action. Red swallowed and Yellow shivered, stepping back. Razan lifted a hand and snapped his fingers, summoning six guards to subdue them. Yellow didn't put up much of a fight, but Red managed to get in two black eyes before his hands were restrained and a bite on the hand of the guard who gagged him.

"How long did I know?" Razan asked,reading Reds mind. "About your little resistance or you and your friends infiltrating my castle?" Razan beckoned, ordering them to follow. Not like they had much of choice, really, what with guards prodding spears into their backs. "Shortly after we wiped what was the resistance of the face of the earth, I knew there were some survivors. I didn't kill you. Figured you could be useful in the near future, if not entertaining." he nodded to towards the window. "Turns out that hypothesis was correct." Razan opened the door to the grand foyer. "As for you and your three friends, I caught on rather quickly. I wasn't to sure about Crystal and Gold, as I was sure Altair took care of their house a while ago. But when Yellow walked in," he turned, smirking. "How could I not recognize Lady Amarillo of Kanto?"

Yellow squeaked, as if trying to sink into herself. Razan seemed mildly amused by this, leading them to… what looked like a casket at the base of the steps to the throne.

"Regardless, you _did_ prove useful." The guards forced them to the casket, seeing as it was made of glass, they could see whom was laying on the inside. It was a young woman, roughly eighteen, with long black hair dressed in a purple dress suited for a princess, hands folded over her chest with a bouquet of violet roses in her hands.

"This," he tapped the glass lid, catching the attention. "Is the strongest psychic pokésoul known right now. The ones your little resistance ran to when I brainwashed Crystal. Remember that, Yellow?"

Yellow was looking anywhere but Razan or the casket, but Red had his face set as a fiery glare, as if wishing he could force Razan to spontaneously combust into flames.

"The biggest pain too, and also the bait for your resistance." Razan paused at that. "I said 'is' didn't I?" his smirk grew. "Forgive me for my improper use of grammar, this _was_ Starlight Sūta."

o.0.o.0.o

No one said anything for the first few minutes of stepping onto the castle grounds, mainly for two reasons. One, being that they were freaked out and/or scared of the freaky power Eclipse just demonstrated. As he lead the pack of resistance members, everyone just let him lead, not willing to give him the chance to turn said power on them.

"What was that?" Jade finally asked.

"A power I have," Eclipse replied bluntly, if not vaguely, casually stepping over the rubble he caused and onto the castle grounds.

And that was the end of that conversation.

The second reason they didn't really say anything was the simple fact that there was no one. No servants. No soldiers. Nothing.

"We should look for Red and Yellow." Opal commented worriedly.

"No, we need to find Razan," Jade said. "He's our threat."

"He's just going to find us eventually." Carnelian said, shrugging. "What's the point of running about looking for him when he'll get to us eventually?"

"Because, stupid, we're on his turf." Topaz snapped. "No doubt he knows this place like the back of his hand."

"We're looking for Starlight." Eclipse said as the entered the grand foyer. Eclipse was beyond annoyed at this point. He was angry, seething, even. The damned bastard had the gall to go crawling onto resistance turf and not only cause a ruckus, but hurt him and use Starlight to do it. For as short a time as he'd known the woman, the thought infuriated him to no end.

"Why is it so dark?" White asked. Eclipse was wondering that too. It was as if someone had shut all the drapes on this pleasantly, and ironically, sunny day. On top of that, Eclipse was hearing an awkward murmuring, as if someone was shouting into a pillow or something, along with the loud banging of a chair.

Suddenly, the doors slammed behind them, completely plunging us in darkness. There was a moment of panicked exclamations, but that quickly seized with a single tiny voice.

"Hey, Jade," Eclipse heard Soul squeak. Everyone paused.

"Yeah?" Eclipse heard Jade ask from his left.

"Remember when you said we should find Razan?"

"...Yes?"

"Carnelian was right." a different voice said. Suddenly, the drapes opened, blinding them in light, revealing who the mysterious speaker was. Razan stood smirking behind Soul, one hand clamped around her neck, the other raised, controlling his powers to tie the drapes in place. "I was going to find you first."

"Razan," Eclipse heard himself growl. Gardevoir was frantically looking about the room. On the other end of the room was two people he didn't recognize, tied to chairs with gags in the mouths.

"Red! Yellow!" Opal exclaimed. For the sake of eye color, he was guessing the guy was Red and the girl was Yellow. Red was banging his chair against the ground, trying to get free while Yellow seemed to have shrunk into her chair, defeated. Eclipse shot his gaze to Razan again.

"Where's Starlight?" he demanded. Razan blinked.

"Who now?"

"Don't you play your mind games with me-!"

" _Eclipse_!" he blinked. That wasn't Zoroark, and it didn't sound like any of the resistant members…

"Gardevoir?" he murmured. Telepathy?

" _Starlight was here… But… I can't sense her anymore!"_

" _Like… Like you can't sense her presence?"_

" _No…"_ her voice sounded like it was on the verge of a sob. " _I can't sense her anymore, period!"_

Eclipse was pretty sure his eye popped out of his head. If Gardevoir couldn't sense Starlight at all, it didn't mean that she wasn't in the room, in the same city, hell, even in the same country. It meant that… Starlight was…

"Impossible." he muttered. He whipped around to Razan, who seemed bemused by the situation. He caught wind of the conversation too. "Where's Starlight." Eclipse knew that when he got angry, he didn't get yelling, raging scary. He got cold and serious, even more so than usual, every word on the verge of becoming a threat, a threat he was willing to carry out.

Razan said nothing. He went towards the throne, towards a glass display box that Eclipse failed to notice during the process of infiltrating the castle. Razan stopped at the box, glancing at it, then turned, back to them. He smiled, gesturing for them to come forward.

Eclipse cast a glance to Onyx. He nodded silently. Yunyi must have taken it as a sign as well, as she walked forward with Devoir by her side. Zoroark kept his guard up as he followed Eclipse, Gardevoir lagging behind, as if afraid.

Slowly, he approached the glass, widening his eye seeing that it wasn't a display case for stupid little knick-knacks, but rather, a glass casket with a body lying inside.

"Starlight!" he exclaimed, practically throwing the lid off. It shattered upon contact with the ground. Even though she looked to be sleeping, Starlight hardly stirred from the loud noise. His hand reached for her neck, pressing against the skin, waiting for a pulse to thrum against his fingertips. He waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Gardevoir covered her face with her hands. Yunyi burst into tears. Even Zoroark bowed his head in regret and grief.

"Starlight!" he yelled again, trying to prompt a response by shaking her shoulder.

"Stop desecrating her body. It's disturbing." Razan said. Eclipse felt something snap at that.

"You want to know what _I_ find disturbing?" Eclipse hissed, removing his hand from her shoulders. "The fact that a king who claims to care about his people goes around murdering them!"

"Some sacrifices have to be made, Eclipse." Razan said. "In order to have a peaceful life for the villagers, anyone who can overthrow me must be stopped."

"She had no desire to overthrow you." Eclipse hissed, glancing back down at her. "She hardly had the desire to leave her home." his gaze snapped up to Razan again. "Damn you!"

Razan didn't say anything. Suddenly, dozens of brainwashed guards stormed the room. All at once Eclipse felt rage consume him. Not caring who or what was in the way, he ripped the eyepatch from his face and turned, opening his eye.

Only to be stopped by, of all people, Soul.

"I need your help." she muttered. Eclipse shut his eye and glared. "The spell you used for trying to sever your bond. Do you remember it?"

"Why?" Eclipse hissed.

"Because the only way we're going to win this is by cutting Razan off from his bond."

Eclipse mulled over this.

"You can cast spells?"

"Seven years in the making!" Soul winked. "I'd recognized a botched severance spell anywhere. Help me find the ingredients, I'll finish this, once and for all."

Eclipse glanced back at Starlight.

"Can you find a cure for her?"

Soul blinked, then smiled gently.

"I'll do my best."

o.0.o.0.o

With Yunyi's and Devoir's help, Eclipse managed to help Soul find a room full of spellbooks and shelves of ingredients.

"What did I do so wrong that I botched it so bad?" Eclipse asked, watching as Soul flitted about, crushing stones and mixing it with salt.

"Who knows? These things are delicate and severance spells are extremely hard." Soul murmured. "I'm even a little nervous about this, and I'm pretty experienced."

"You're not going to make him more powerful are you?"

"No." Soul smiled. "I may not be a top notch witch yet, but if I cast this wrong, worst case scenario is we'll weaken the bond, if not block it enough for us to win." She picked up some candles and the mixture. "Now Eclipse," she opened the door. "I'm going to show you how a real severance spell works."

o.0.o.0.o

Eclipse was surprised yet unsurprised to see the resistance was putting up a good fight against Razan's army. Regardless, he was keeping an eye on Soul as she lit the candles.

"Aren't you going to draw the diagram?" Eclipse asked. Soul grinned.

"Soon!" she said.

Suddenly, the candles floated in front of her in a perfect circle. Eclipse watched as she raised her right hand, swirling it through the air in front of her, forming the diagram as the gemstone-salt mixture began to drift from the bowel in her left hand. It swirled around the diagram. Concentration never breaking, Soul grabbed the herbs at the bottom of the bowel, clenching them in her hand.

"Bless me Cresselia, protector of spellcasters." she murmured. "Razan and Hypno!" she thrusts her hand forward. "Sever!"

There was a blast of light from the circle. Razan barely had the chance to blink before he was clutching his head screaming. Hypno almost immediately passed out, and then, all at once, there was silence.

o.0.o.0.o

No one knew what happened to Razan

After they supposedly severed his bond, they turned their backs for a moment, and he was gone. Whether he teleported himself out or he used another pokémon, no one knew, but everyone had a feeling he wouldn't be a threat any longer.

Though initially confused, the brainwashed victims snapped back once Razan was gone, giving more evidence that the bond was gone. To be safe, they decided to have Yunyi do a brief mental check on all of them, make sure all was in order.

Gardevoir went back and fetched Altair, Emerald, and the kids, all of which were running rampant in the castle. Victini was found in the dungeon, and, oddly enough, whenever he was around Altair-Millennium, Millennium became the dominant personality. Everyone had to agree that hardworking and sweet Millennium was much preferred over the cold and ruthless Altair. The resistance members all took refuge in the many rooms in the palace. Eclipse made sure that Starlight was moved to a room fit for a queen, and waited for Soul to come up with a solution.

Eclipse barely left her bedside through the whole time.

For the first time in forever, he felt guilty. He knew he had nothing to do with Razan's need to eliminate his rivals. It was just… maybe if he kept a better eye on her, or maybe if he handled their situation differently. It was a sea of what ifs that he hadn't thought about since he cursed himself with his broken bond, since his mother died so long ago.

Eclipse jerked his head to the door as it opened and slammed shut. He blinked as Turquoise snickered, ducking under the bed.

"Hey." he said, grabbing the girls ankle then lifting her by the back of her shirt. "Starlight's sleeping."

"And I'm hiding." Turquoise responded. Eclipse put her on the ground. She glanced at Starlight, head barely peeking over the covers.

"Have you tried kissing her yet?" Turquoise asked. Eclipse simply stared at her. "My Mama says works in the stories!" she suddenly tugged at his pant leg. "Kiss her! Kiss her like princes do in the story!"

"I'm not a prince." Eclipse said bluntly.

"Fine, like a creepo wearing an eyepatch who looms over pretty ladies in their spare time." Turquoise said. "Now kiss her!"

Eclipse glanced back at Starlight. He contemplated the idea.

The contemplation must not have lasted long, because next thing he knew, Turquoise was giggling, and he was pulling back from the kiss.

"Happy now?" he asked the girl.

There was a small groan, but not from Turquoise. Eclipse blinked in surprise, then snapped his head to Starlight. She stirred a bit, then coughed, slowly opening her eyes.

"Starlight?" he asked hesitantly, as if it was to good to be true.

"E… Eclipse?" she asked sitting up. She smiled. "Hi."

And for the first time in a long time, Eclipse smiled.

"Hey."

Suddenly, Soul crashed open the door.

"Eclipse, I figured out how to break the curse!" she smiled, holding a book. "True love's first ki-" she trailed off, blinking at Starlight already being awake.

o.0.o.0.o

"Jade and Onyx established order again in the kingdom again," Eclipse said. "Millennium returned home to her parents and little sisters, and Starlight worked at fixing Eclipse's problem with his powers. As of now it is under control, but he still wears the eyepatch for scare factor." he snapped the book closed. "The end."

"I never thought you to be much of a storyteller, Eclipse."

Celina, Aini, and Iri snapped their heads up to the new voice in the doorway.

"Mom!"

o.0.o.0.o

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **HOW MANY OF YOU GUYS REQUESTED RAPUNZEL FOR SOULSILVERSHIPPING?! Please raise your hand.**

 **Geez... Well, I can't really think of a better fairy tale for those two, so we're going to do the Tangled version rather than the classic version.**

 **Anyways, this story comes to a close. How did you like my OCs? Good? Bad? Do tell! And did anyone recognize the flowers in Starlights hands? The violet roses that began the story! I feel as if it was a dud ending, but I just wanted this story to end at this point. Sorry!**

 ** **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^****


	13. A Lock of Trouble Part 1

"So Eclipse was really good at telling stories?" V smiled as Iri finished his retelling of Starlight and the Kidnapper with elaborate and childish hand gestures, nearly hitting his sisters several times.

"Great!"

"Better than you." Aini grumbled, crossing her arms. V smiled, ruffling her hair. Though she had a slight attitude, Aini did care. She called her crying one night, and wasn't satisfied until she told them exactly what day, what time, and confirmed that she herself was picking them up.

"So it seems the next story has to outdo Eclipse's story, huh, Aini?" V smiled, flicking through the storybook. "How about Rapunzel? Featuring Soul and Silver?"

"Uncle Silvy?!" Iri exclaimed excitedly. "Yes!" he latched onto her arm, shaking it back and forth. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"

Celina smiled brightly as V turned the pages.

"Now lets see... This," she declared in a dramatic voice. "Is how the great thief Silver, died."

She paused as Celina gasped. She laughed, nudging her with her elbow.

"But don't worry, it's actually a really happy story, and it Uncle Silvy isn't even the main character!" she paused. "This is a story about a girl named Soul, and it starts... with the sun."

o.0.o.0.o

 _A Lock of Trouble, Part One_

 _Once Upon a Pokéball,_ there was a kind king and a... less than kind queen. The couple, in fact, was forced into marriage by their parents. While the king, always the optimist, tried to make it work.

But Queen Mckenzie was a bitter woman. Nothing was ever good enough for her. One day, the king found out that she was cheating on him with a neighboring duke. While enraged, he did not sentence the queen to any harm. He simply decided it best to strip her of her title. So the Queen moved on to live with her duke and they grew old together.

Around that time, a single drop of sunlight fell from the sky. Now most people would argue that sunlight falls to the earth in rays, not drops, but 'a drop of sunlight' sounds prettier and is more romantic than 'a ray of sunlight', so we're rolling with it.

From, this small drop of sun grew a magic, golden flower. It had the ability to heal the sick and injured, make the old young again. It was a truly miraculous flower.

Mckenzie one day found the flower. She was now an old woman with gray hair, wrinkles, and hunched over. All her former beauty was lost. The duke had died, her money had dried up, and she was, all and all, without nothing.

When she found the flower, she was entranced by it's golden glow, even in the darkness of night. She recalled once, back when she was the queen, the king having told legend of the mystical sundrop flower, how it's golden glow never left, how it could heal the sick and injured.

She glanced at her wrinkled hands. If only she was young again...

" _Flower, gleam and glow,"_ she sang, voice old and raspy, recalling the moronic song that the king would sing to their daughter. She hated the child, anyways.

 _"Let your power shine  
_ _Make the clock reverse  
_ _Bring back what once was mine_

 _"Heal what has been hurt  
_ _Change the fates' design  
_ _Save what has been lost  
_ _Bring back what once was mine…_

 _"What once was mine..."_

Suddenly, a golden pollen came from the flower. WIthout realizing it, she inhaled it. In awe, she watched as her skin became smooth and beautiful again. Her posture suddenly straightened, and she felt energy she hasn't felt in decades. The energy of being young again.

"So that idiot could do one thing right." she murmured, pleased to realize she was young again, perhaps in her mid-twenties.

Quickly, Mckenzie constructed a basket to cover the flower, afraid to pick it for it may loose its power. If she ever became old again, she'd come back and use the flower.

She'd remain twenty-four forever.

o.0.o.0.o

Many centuries past, and just a little bit away, the kingdom that Mckenzie once ruled became a prosperous little place. It was ruled by the kings decedent, King Xavier and his beautiful wife, Heart. Xavier and Heart ruled by a kind hand, and believed in sharing their celebrations with everyone.

And what was more celebration-worthy than the soon to be birth of a prince or princess?

Well, Queen Heart got very sick while with the child. It got so bad that everyone was fearing the death of both the queen and the unborn child. At certain points, it gets past praying for her to get well. She was loosing time, and quickly, the subjects began hoping for a miracle.

Or in this case, a magic golden flower, told only in legends, passed down from family to family, taught in schools, told to always share it's power, as everyone could benefit from it's power.

Commoner and noble alike began to search far and wide for the magical flower. Even little schoolchildren gathered their weekly allowances with small hopes of funding the great campaign.

Now, while every good person would have given up the suns gift with hopes of saving the loving queen, Mckenzie hoarded it's power away. She hated the royal family, as she felt she was wrongly banished and abandoned. She wanted to see them suffer, and she loved watching the queen die while she remained young.

She was visiting the flower again. Glancing around cautiously, she pulled off the leafy cover for her secret treasure. Gently cradling the flower under her now wrinkled fingers, she began to sing.

 _"Flower, gleam and glow  
_ _Let your power shine  
_ _Make the clock reverse  
_ _Bring back what once was mine_

 _"Heal what has been hurt  
_ _Change the fates' design  
_ _Save what has been lost  
_ _Bring back what once was mine…_

 _"What once was mine..."_

By the end of the song, her voice sounded younger. She smiled at feeling young again, studying her beautiful treasure for a little while longer.

But then she heard frantic voices in the distance. Startled, she pulled up her hood, covered the flower, and darted into the shadows.

It was only until she turned back that she realized that she had knocked the cover back. She whipped around. Maybe she had enough time to cover it again...!

"We found it!" someone exclaimed.

"No!" she hissed under her breath, not wanting to be discovered by the guards, but also not wanting to loose her gift. If she doesn't use the spell daily, then she'll revert back to an old woman...!

Unsure of what to do, she simply watched in the darkness as the soldiers uprooted the flower, placed in a pot, and stole her treasure, her youth away from her.

o.0.o.0.o

Later that evening, with the help of a sage, they managed to take the flower and turn it into a magical potion. King Xavier helped his Queen drink the potion, and in a matter of days, she was cured of her sickness.

A few days later, on May thirtieth, they were granted a baby girl, with a full head of light brown hair. They named the little girl Soul.

In honor of her birth, the king and queen lit up a lantern with a lily on it, the symbol of the kingdom, and let it float into the air while the crowd below them cheered for their new princess.

And for that once moment, everything was utterly perfect.

But then that moment was ruined.

Slowly, the door to the balcony creaked open, and an old woman snuck through creeping towards the infant child.

 _"Flower, gleam and glow,"_ Mckenzie began. Already she was beginning to revert back to her true age.

 _"Let your power shine  
_ _Make the clock reverse  
_ _Bring back what once was mine,"_

She watched in satisfaction as the princesses hair began to glow from the roots, the same golden color as the flower.

 _"Heal what has been hurt  
_ _Change the fates' design,"_

Slowly, she reached towards the girls hair, picking up a single, long strand. How the child had hair that fell past her little shoulders in a matter of days, she didn't know, but she wasn't going to question it. She felt that familiar magic wash over her, healing her old age. She smiled. All she needed was a single magical strand...

 _"Save what has been lost,"_ bringing up a pair of scissors, she clipped the strand off.

Only to abruptly cut off the song with her own gasp as the hair lost it's wonderful glow, becoming dull and normal again. She glanced at the baby, and saw the hair connected to the stand she cut had also lost it's glow.

She glanced at her own hands, panting heavily as they regained their wrinkles.

The hair lost it's power... when cut?

She narrowed her eyes.

There was only one way...

She scooped up the child, unintentionally causing the child to wail in surprise from being moved so abruptly.

As she was perched on the balcony, the door behind her slammed open, she glanced over her shoulder, King Xavier and Queen Heart catching sight of her holding their little baby girl.

Then, with a swish of her cloak, she jumped from the balcony and escaped into the night.

The mother wailed the name of her lost daughter, the king demanding guards in an outrage. But Mckenzie knew that no one would ever find her or Princess Soul.

After all, she had the tower built over centuries ago. Anyone who knew about it was dead, and if anyone remembered it, no one would ever find it.

o.0.o.0.o

And while the kingdom searched and mourned for their lost princess, Mckenzie kept the child locked away in the tower, raising Soul as her own. She taught Soul the sacred song that activated the powers, and every few days, she would sit down and brush the girls long hair, and have her sing the song.

" _...Heal what has been hurt,"_ a little girls voice echoed throughout the living room of the tower. A fire crackled next to them, the girl sitting on a stool while Mckenzie sat in a larger, plush chair, brushing the long, light brown hair as it glowed, reversing her age.

 _"Change the fates' design  
_ _Save what has been lost  
_ _Bring back what once was mine…_

 _"What once was mine..."_

And like that, Mckenzie found her magic flower again. Although this time, she was determined to keep it hidden.

"Mama," Soul said, twisting around to look at her, brown eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Why can't I go outside?"

Mckenzie plastered a big, gentle-fake smile on her face.

"Because the outside world is a dangerous place, Soul." she said wisely. "Full of selfish and horrible people. You must stay here, where it's safe. Do you understand, my flower?"

Soul smiled at her, wrapping her arms around her legs.

"Yes, Mama."

But that hidden tower couldn't hide everything.

Every year, on the princess's birthday, the King and Queen would release hundreds of lanterns on her birthday, one fore each day she was missing. And every year, little Soul would sneak out of her bed, past her Mamas sleeping form, and open the window to look at the mysterious lanterns.

But being a small child, she never knew they were lanterns.

So every year, when the glowing lights appeared in the sky, she would ask her mother about it. She said they were stars.

She always wondered why those particular stars always appeared on her birthday.

o.0.o.0.o

A mareep hid behind a flower pot on the balcony, hoping to escape her fate.

A moment of silence.

"A- _ha!"_ a voice exclaimed, slamming open the doors. An eighteen-year-old woman with long, light brown hair pooling around her on the floor, wearing a darkish pink dress with an blue apron that looked, oddly enough, like overalls. She was barefoot. Her brown eyes glanced around the balcony, smiling in search of her friend. Not spotting her, Soul sighed. "Oh, well," she crossed her arms behind her back, sauntering away. "I guess Mara isn't out here."

Mara the Mareep let out a sigh of relief, only to be snatched up by a strand of hair by the her tail.

"I win!" Soul cheered, holding Mara up. Letting her pokémon go, Soul smiled. "So that's twenty-two for me..." she trailed off, happily petting her pokémon's head. "How about twenty-three out of forty-five?"

Mara widened her eyes, then shook her head. Soul blinked.

"Okay, then." She propped herself up on her elbows. "What do you wanna do?"

Mara seemed to perk up at that. She turned, pointing to outside.

Soul blinked, glancing up at the forest surrounding them.

"I like it in here, though." she stated simply. "Don't you, Mara?"

Mara gave her a blank look. Soul simply smiled, lifting the pokémon under her stubby arms.

"You like it, you liar." she smiled. The small clock on her wall chimed eight'o'clock, cutting off her fun and games with Mara. She beamed at the Mareep. "Chore time!" she exclaimed similarly to how a child would exclaim 'Christmas'.

Ducking back into the tower, with her seventy feet of hair trailing behind her, she set to doing the chores, as her Mama liked a clean house when she returned home, and even though Soul had no idea what day she was coming, she always did the chores in the morning to impress her.

Hanging the last bit dress from the laundry on the line, she wondered what to do next. It was eight thirty now, and everything was spick and span.

"I'll make Mama lunch!" Soul decided. Despite Mareep's protests, she bolted to the tiny kitchen and, working with the ingredients at hand, began an attempt at making something edible. When Mareep turned green upon the very scent, Soul gave up and tossed her attempt in the trash.

She could never make much outside of salads.

She turned from cleaning up her mess, eyes taking in the paintings on her wall. Her Mama never liked the paintings, as she would always wash them away mere moments after Soul put them up on the wall. Ever since she was a child, Soul always put up marvelous pieces of art, and despite her Mamas disdain for the paintings, Soul loved them very much. It made the bland walls so much prettier!

Her gaze moved to a single blank spot on the wall. Mareep glanced at it, deciding that it was much to obvious, and shook her head.

"Oh, this is easy." Soul rolled her eyes, pointing to the many dark red curtains, her Mama's favorite color, that covered her paintings most of the time. Opening her small paint box, she clambered onto the mantle, pulling aside the curtains, and began to paint the entire wall navy blue with long, sweeping strokes of her arm.

Soon, the wall was navy with a small forest at the bottom. Above it, in the dark sky, was odd, floating stars that appeared like a stream, almost.

"Do you think," Soul said offhandedly as she began a small depiction of herself at the bottom, sitting atop a tree. "Mama will let me see the floating stars, now that I'm eighteen?"

Mara shrugged. She knew what Mckenzie would say, but didn't want to crush Soul's hopes so soon.

Soul suddenly hopped down from the mantle, having finished the final strokes of her long hair, trailing to the bottom of the tree. With a grin, she swiped the back of her hand across her forehead, unwittingly streaking pain across her face.

"Perfect!"

o.0.o.0.o

Somewhere far away from the tower, there was a thief.

Well, more like a trio of thieves. Carl was the oldest and most experienced. One could say he was the leader of the group, though he always was willing to put his partners before him should either of them be threatened to get caught. With him was his two younger, adopted siblings, Will, who was more whimsical and served mostly as a distraction, and Silver, by far the most talented thief of the three. All of them had a pokémon partner, Carl with a Houndoom, Will with a Xatu, and Silver with a Sneasel.

Currently, they were scaling the castle roofs with hopes of plundering the most precious, most valuable item.

The lost princess's tiara.

While the lost princess was a legend, the tiara was a myth, said to be made of pure gold, embedded with only the best and most precious gemstones. Melted down and gems taken, the thing was worth millions.

And Silver couldn't wait to get his hands on it.

As he was lowered towards the mystical thing, he couldn't help but smirk at his partners stupidity. He was going to pull exactly what Blue did. Plunder royalty, take the profits for himself, then run off and start a family.

As far as he knew, Blue had escaped Mask clutches a few years ago. Every once in a while, he'd get a sign she was okay. She escaped about three years ago, eloping with some researchers kid, and from what he knew, she already had a baby girl.

Now it was his turn.

Though he didn't have a girlfriend or anything to run off with, he _did_ have wit and street smarts. He could take the crown, sell it piece by piece, be set for life, then reunite with Blue and finally be free from Mask.

Just as his fingertips brushed the crown, the doors opened, and guards walked in. Were they breaking in on a shift change? _Really?_

"Hey!" one of them shouted in realization. Silver snatched the crown up and stuffed it in a satchel while Carl and Will yanked him up through the opening.

"Teleport!" Will order Xatu. And in mere moments they were outside the city, running through the forest while guards charged through the town after them.

Silver smirked. He robbed a castle, guaranteed his freedom, and managed to escape capture. All of this before eleven 'o clock!

This, he decided, was a very big day.

o.0.o.0.o

"Today," Soul said to Mara, packing away her paints. "Is a very big day, Mara!" she shut the box, latching it shut. "I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna ask Mama to see the floating lights!"

All of her paintings once again hidden, she stood.

"Soul~!" someone sang out. Soul gasped happily. "Let down your hair!"

"It's time...!" she whispered excitedly. Mara grinned, nuzzling her cheek into her owners. "Okay, okay, you hide! Don't let her see you!" she hid Mara behind the curtain of the portrait she had just finished, then jogged over to the window.

"Soul!" her Mama called again. "I'm not getting any younger down here!"

"Coming Mama!" Soul exclaimed, gathering up her hair, hooking it onto a hook outside the window, then throwing it over the edge. Once she felt her Mama's weight on the other end, she began pulling the older woman up. Once she was on the ledge, she happily greeted her mother. "Welcome home!"

"Oh, Soul!" her mother said, smiling. "I have no idea how you manage to do that _every other day._ It looks absolutely exhausting, darling."

"It's nothing." Soul said, brushing it off.

"If so, I son't know why it takes so long!"

Soul felt her face drop.

"Oh, I'm teasing darling." she said, sauntering away and tossing her cloak aside, studying her appearance in a mirror. Soul blinked, following after her mother.

"Anyways, Mama, I-"

"Come here, Soul," her mother said, pulling her next to her so she could see both their reflections in the mirror. "You want to know what I see?"

Soul glanced at her, then back at their reflection.

"I see a strong, confident, beautiful young lady." Soul beamed at the amount of compliments she was receiving from her mother. "Oh, and you're there too." Again, her face dropped. Her mother laughed. "Oh, I'm just teasing darling, stop taking everything so seriously!" She leaned down, studying her reflection in the mirror.

"Anyways, Mama, tomorrows a very big day-"

"Soul." her mother stood up, cutting her off once again. "I'm tired from the journey. Sing for me, dear, then we'll talk."

Soul blinked.

"Okay!"

Then she rushed around in a frenzy, getting her mama's favorite chair and her little wooden stool. Then she dragged her mother to the chair, sat her down, gave her the hairbrush, and plopped herself on her little stool. Before Mckenzie even had a chance to pick up a strand of hair, Soul began singing the song at a rapid rate, almost as if each line was a single word rather than a series of words.

" _Flowergleamandglow  
_ _Letyourpowershine  
_ _Maketheclockreverse  
_ _Bringbackwhatoncewasmine"_

"Wha-" Mckenzie exclaimed. "Soul, wait! Wait!"

" _Healwhathasbeenhurt  
_ _Changethefates'design"_

Unsure what to do, she began frantically brushing the hair.

" _Savewhathasbeenlost_

 _Bringbackwhatoncewasmine…"_

 _"Whatoncewasmine..."_

A wave and a pop later, Mckenzie was young again. She glared a little at her daughter.

"Soul!" she said scoldingly, though Soul hardly seemed bothered.

"Mama!" Soul exclaimed, grabbing onto her arm. "So as I was saying, tomorrow is a very big day, but you didn't really respond, so I'm just gonna tell you that tomorrow is my birthday!"

How the girl managed to get that all out in one breath, Mckenzie would never know.

"No, no, no," she said, gently shoving the girl off her. "I distinctly remember. Your birthday was last year."

"Well, that's the great thing about birthdays!" Soul exclaimed enthusiastically, standing up and throwing her arms in the air. "They come around _every year!"_

Mckenzie was less than enthused by her enthusiasm.

"And what I really, really want this year for my birthday is to go see the floating lights!" she exclaimed.

Mckenzie gave her a blank look.

"I'm not crazy, Mama!" she jumped up on a chair and yanked back the curtain, revealing her latest masterpiece. "I was hoping you'd take me to see the floating lights!"

"Were you painting on the walls again, Soul?" Mckenzie said blandly. "Arceus, I thought you grew out of that."

"Mama, the floating lights!" Soul reminded.

"You mean the stars." Mckenzie said, going back to picking through the fruit basket.

"That's the thing!" Soul exclaimed. "Remember that astrology book I asked you for a few years back? I studied through and through, and there's nothing mentioning these specific stars or any phenomena that even relates to these appearing on the same date, every single year!"

Even though Soul barely understood that half the things that the book said, she understood the pictures and none of the pictures resembled the paintintg she had made on the wall.

"Astrology? Phenomena?" her mother crossed the room, placing a hand against her forehead. "Those are some big words for you, dear. Are you sure you're well?"

"I'm fine, Mama, I promise!" she jerked her head back, looking up at the painting. "I just feel as if, these lights that appear every year on my birthday... They're meant for me, you know? I need to see, Mama. And... and not just from my window." she turned back to her mother, only to see she had sauntered over to the window. "I _need_ to see them in person. I _have_ to know what they are."

"You want to go outside?" her mother responded flippantly. "Oh, why Soul," she slammed the windows shut. "Look at you, as fragile as a flower." she grabbed her hands, spinning her around. "Still a little sapling, just a sprout."

"But I'm-"

"You know why we stay up in this tower," she cut her off sternly. "To keep you safe and sound." she sighed dramatically. "I suppose I always knew this day was coming. Knew that soon you'd want to leave the nest."

"Mama, it's not-"

"You want to know what my mother always told me, Soul?" she held up her pointer finger. "Mother knows best." she whirled around. "Imagine if you didn't listen! If you left the tower! Do you know what's out in that world? I can name off at least ten things off the top of my head!" as if to prove her point, she began rambling off random things that Soul only heard of in her nightmares. "Ruffians, thugs, poison ivy, quicksand, cannibals and snakes, the plague. There's also large bugs, men with pointy teeth and-"

"Mama, that's only nine!" Soul exclaimed, holding up nine fingers to prove her point. Mckenzie didn't listen.

"Stop, no more, you'll just upset me!" she exclaimed, throwing an arm dramatically over her face. "But you know what, Soul? Mother's right here, and I will protect you. Darling, here's what I suggest. Skip the drama, stay with mama." she pulled Soul into a hug. "Mother knows best."

"But Mama, this is really important to me." Soul said after she finished. Mckenzie let out a frustrated sigh, then pushed Soul away from her. Instead of trying a scare tactic, she figured she'd guilt Soul into staying.

"Fine, then." she said disdainfully. "Go ahead, get trampled by a pokémon. Get mugged and left for dead. Me, I'm just your mother, so what do I know? I only bathed and changed and nursed you and cared for you." she sat down dramatically in her chair. "Go ahead and leave me, I deserve it. Let me die alone here, be my guest. When you finally come back and I'm an old, decrepit woman, dying and alone, what would you care? You abandoned me."

"But we'll be going together so we'll come back together!" Soul grinned. Mckenzie sighed. So if scare tactic won't work and guilt tactic won't work, time for the belittlement.

"Soul, take it from me, on your own, you won't last a day." she began counting off all of her flaws. "Sloppy, under-dressed, immature, clumsy. Please, they'll eat you up alive. You're gullible, naive, positively grubby, ditzy and a bit, well, hmm, vague." she came forward, pinching her stomach. Soul yelped stumbling back. "Plus, I believe, you're gettin' kinda chubby, but I'm just saying 'cause I love you."

"Mama..." Soul whined. She hated it when her mother got into one of her insulting moods.

"Luckily for you, I understand. I'm here to help you. All I have is one request."

"Yes?" Soul asked, suddenly feeling quite defeated. She knew exactly what her mother was going to say.

"Don't ever ask to leave this tower again." she said sternly. Soul looked down dejectedly.

"Yes, mother."

"Oh, I love you very much, dear." Mckenzie said, hugging her.

"I love you more." Soul responded, per tradition. Mckenzie smiled, happy that she managed to get those whimsical ideas out of Soul's head.

"I love you most."

o.0.o.0.o

"Tata, my dear!" Soul heard her mother yell up as she lowered her to the ground. "I'll be back soon!"

Soul smiled.

"Bye-bye, Mama!" she said, waving. Her voice lost it's happy tone for a brief moment as she unhooked her hair, pulling it back into the tower. "I'll be here..."

o.0.o.0.o

"Wouldn't it have made more sense for this story to be about Red and Yellow, since Yellow's got freaky healing powers?" Aini asked.

"No." V said. "This story is perfect for Silver and Soul."

"I still don't think so." Aini grumbled.

"I liked it!" Celina smiled.

"Of course you liked it!" Iri stated. "You always love the stupid princess stories!"

"But there's a thief this time around!" Celina defended.

V snapped the book closed standing up and deciding it was time to get them to bed before they began arguing for half the night.

o.0.o.0.o

 **So, yeah. I know near the ending I totally ripped off 'Mother Knows Best' from the movie, but I love that song. And yes, while writing these stories, I listen to disney villain songs. I love them, oddly enough. Mother Knows Best is one of my top ten, including Poor Unfortunate Souls and Hellfire from The Little Mermaid and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, respectfully.**

 **But that name though! A Lock of Trouble. Lock, like _lock of hair. Soul has long hair._ Or lock, like _lock and key. Silver's a thief._**

 **I know, praise my geniusness.**

 **Soooo yeah.**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	14. A Lock of Trouble Part 2

"So, where to go next..." V trailed off as her children huddled around her.

"Fight scene!" Iri exclaimed.

"It's to early for that!" Celina argued. "How about a romantic scene?"

Aini gagged.

"Now, now, we'll get to see both types of scenes soon enough."

"I don't know how you're going to do that." Aini said, rolling her eyes. "Uncle Silver has the personality of a rock."

"But Auntie Soul loves him, so there's gotta be something more!" Celina exclaimed.

"Aunt Soul is just puts up with him."

"But Raven-!"

"Is like his father." Aini scowled. "With the personality of a rock." with this, she glowered at her mother. "How come you couldn't have adopted cool people into our family, like Red or Gold or Sapphire?"

"Because I've known Silver for a long time and he's like a brother to me." V replied. "And Raven isn't that bad."

"He barely says anything!" Aini argued.

"Um, Mom?" everyone turned their gaze to Iri. "Can we continue with the story?"

V smiled, ruffling his lighter-colored hair.

"Of course, Iri."

o.0.o.0.o

 _A Lock of Trouble, Part 2_

Silver was running after Will and Carl, darting in between the trees to throw the guards off their trail, though he knew it was kind of pointless. After all, they sent their greatest lead guard, Crystal Kurisutaru, charging after them on her Arcanine. To all criminals, she was notorious for her title, the 'Catcher', known for capturing any and all offending criminals who dared to commit a wrong in her home kingdom.

Silver paused, glancing at a random wanted poster. He glared at it, ripping it free. He looked like... like a bloated, squinty-eyed idiot! He swore, that *bleep*ing sketch artist, Gold, could never get his *bleep*ed face right!

"Feeling vain, Silver?" Will teased. Silver glowered at him.

"He always gets your portraits right." Silver said. He wasn't feeling vain, so to speak, more like insulted. It was like Gold did it to instigate him.

"There they are!" Silver snapped his head up, spotting Crystal overhead with Gold behind her. What was she doing, bring that idiot with her? Maybe for identification?

In a hurried frenzy, he shoved his wanted poster into the satchel with the crown, bolting after Will and Carl. The running didn't last long, though, as they were suddenly facing a dead end. Silver turned his gaze upwards, seeing that he needed to get to the top to keep running.

Silver felt the need to curse, but held his tongue. He couldn't get arrested now!

"Have Xatu fly me up." Silver said, turning to Will. "Then I'll send him down to get you two."

The two shared a glance.

"Give us the bag first." Carl said. Silver didn't blame them, he wouldn't trust himself either. He wasn't willing to give up the satchel, either, as its contents were the only way he would be able to reconnect with Blue.

He suddenly felt Sneasel tap the back of his leg three times, indicating he would get their bounty for him.

"Fine, then." he said, taking the bag from over his shoulder and passing it to Will. He knew Will was physically weaker than Carl, so Sneasel should be able to handle him easier.

He felt Xatu clamp it's claws around his shoulders, carrying him up. Once he landed, he turned, looking over. He watched in satisfaction as Sneasel snuck away from Will, the sliced handle of the bag.

"Sneasel, night slash!" he ordered. Carl and Will gaped as Sneasel leapt up, slashing through Xatu with the super effective attack, then using it's body as a launchpad to get back up with his owner.

"Silver, why would you do that?!" Carl exclaimed.

"You know how the saying goes." Silver shrugged. "All for one and two for me." he held up the bag, handle now knotted, smirking. Then he turned and bolted.

He faintly heard Carl scream his name in rage, but ignored it. He glanced over his shoulder, blinking as he saw Crystal and Gold charging towards him on their Arcanine and Typhlosian respectfully. He knew Sneasel, being part ice-type, wouldn't stand a chance against them.

So he turned and bolted.

"We've got to retrieve that satchel at any cost!"

"Got it, Super Serious Gal!"

"Stop calling me that!"

Silver ducked under a log, wincing as fire scorched the log.

He continued running, when he was suddenly tackled from behind. He grunted, flipping over to face his attacker, seeing Gold trying to pin him down. Suddenly angered by the idiot's sketch of him earlier, he positioned his legs and kneed the other man where it hurt.

Silver nearly laughed as his eyes bugged out and he rolled onto his side, hands flying to the injured area.

"Gold!" he snapped his head up to see Crystal halting her Arcanine. Snarling, he frantically whipped his head about, searching for the satchel. Where was it?!

He heard Sneasel cry out, and he snapped his head in his partners direction. Silver saw his pokémon dangling precariously on a tiny branch with the bag wrapped around his claws.

"Sneasel...!" he exclaimed, scrambling over onto the branch.

"Watch him!" he heard Crystal shout, most likely referring to the pokémon to watch Gold. He glanced over his shoulder, and saw the woman balancing on the branch. Was she that determined to complete her job or was she simply stupid?! This branch wouldn't hold all their weight...!

He scrambled closer to Sneasel. Silver knew he was probably nimble enough to leap over Crystal and bolt, but he needed that tiara first. So snatched Sneasel by his wrist and yanked him onto his shoulder. The pokémon faithfully kept hold on the bag.

Then there was a slight crumbling noise.

"Super Serious Gal!" Gold exclaimed, finally standing from the kick to the groin.

Silver lifted his gaze and met Crystals. Both slowly moved their gaze to the branches ledge.

Then they were suddenly hurtling towards whatever was at the bottom of the cliff.

"Super Serious Gal!" he heard Gold shout. " _CRYSTAL!"_

o.0.o.0.o

Silver blinked.

When he woken, he was a bit confused.

He moved his limbs.

Nothing was broken.

Vital signs seemed okay.

All in all, he was winded and disoriented, but nonetheless, fine.

He glanced up. Maybe the drop wasn't as far as he thought it was. He turned, finding Sneasel sprawled out not to far from him. Thankfully, the satchel was still in his possession.

And just a few feet away was Crystal. Silver got up, backing away from her, only to realize she was out cold. There was a bit of blood staining her hair, indicating she hit her head.

Slowly, he walked over and nudged her leg. Reflexively, she kicked back.

So she was still alive.

"Conscious cleared." he decided, turning and scooping up Sneasel, throwing the bag over his shoulder. No doubt Gold would go all heroic searching for her.

"Crystal!"

See? Already here. And damn, he sounded close.

Silver began to trek through the forest with hopes of outrunning Gold, and maybe, their pokémon. For good measure, he walked through a small stream to throw the pokémon off his trail.

"Crystal! Arceus, Crystal!"

Had he found her already? He works a lot faster than he expected him too. Despite the fact that he literally heard the pounding footsteps of pokémon, he kept calm, taking careful steps to avoid having the pokémon hear him. Spotting willow branches, he decided to hide there, and tried to push them back...

Only to fall flat on his face.

"What?" he hissed, standing up and glancing around. A cave? Willow branches hiding a cave? He wasn't sure if this was a manmade occasion or some natural one, but it didn't matter.

Just as he got behind the branches, he spotted the outline of Gold on his typlosian, with Crystal in his arms. He was looking around, as if he spotted something. Silver knew he could take on Gold easy. The fact that he literally left him incapacitated up above proved it. It was their pokémon he was worried about.

Then, like that, Gold charged on, most likely hoping to get help for Crystal.

Silver scowled for a moment, then ducked farther into the cave. He'd hide in here until he was sure the coast was clear.

Upon reaching the unexpected exit, he actually stopped, staring at what was in front of him.

Now, to be honest, Silver did not get surprised often. He usually just rolled with the punches. But to suddenly escape from castle guards, with his treasure, and managing to shake himself of Will and Carl? Why, he can't recall ever having such good luck.

But now, finding a tower in the middle of nowhere? It was almost to good to be true.

Taking Sneasel from his arms, he stuffed the pokémon in the bag with the tiara, threw the bag over his shoulder, and hoped that Sneasel had enough sense not to tear the bag or jump out if he woke up.

After all, Silver had decided he was going to scale the tower. No way the castle guards were smart enough to actually find this place, let alone determined enough to climb the tower.

Studying the nooks and crannies between the bricks, he decided that, yes, this would be easy to climb. He was skilled enough to scale the cracks of newer buildings. This tower was full of cracks and semi-loose stones, possibly from age, providing the perfect nooks and crannies for foot and hand rests.

Exhaling to steal his nerves, Silver began to precariously climb the tower. It took him a little longer than he would have liked, but all in all, he managed to get to the window ledge. Stepping inside, he flexed his hands, curing the blisters from the climb. Blue always told him to wear gloves when scaling buildings, but he never listened. He aways felt the gloves got in the way.

Now he knew why she advised that.

Silver stood up straight again, shutting the window. Just as it was latched shut, something akin to an electric shock jolted through his body, exemplified in certain places due to the small metal trinkets he had on him.

Exhausted, he fell unconscious.

o.0.o.0.o

Soul let out a startled yelp as the mysterious person who entered her tower fell to the ground with a thud. Mara hissed at him, backing away after giving him a good shock.

Slowly, Soul came from where she was hiding, afraid but utterly fascinated at the same time. Only her mother ever came to the tower, and this was the first time someone outside her mother came up!

Hesitantly, she came forward and poked the back of his head.

No movement.

"I don't know Mara." Soul said offhandedly, stepping back. "Are you sure it's a he? All my books show guys have short hair! And his hair goes past his shoulders!"

Mara rolled her eyes, but nodded. Slowly, Soul turned him over and poked his cheek. Glancing at Mara, who nodded in reassurance, she flicked some of his hair out of his face.

"He doesn't look like a barbarian." Soul quietly. "He looks like he's the same age as me!" Slowly, she pushed his upper lip up, revealing perfectly normal, perfectly white teeth. "No sharp pointy teeth either." she turned and smiled to Mara. "I think he's kinda handsome. Don't you?"

Mara shrugged.

"We should probably hide him, though." Soul mused, lifting him up from under his arms. Or at least she attempted to. This guy was heavy! Were all guys this heavy? Regardless, she managed to lift him up and, with his legs trailing behind her, managed to drag him to her closet.

After more than a few tries, she managed to shove him inside amongst her other dresses and forgotten knickknacks.

"So, I have a person in my closet." Soul said. A pause. "Wow, that sounded better in my head." she turned to Mara. "So now wha..." the word trailed off into a stream of a's as a sudden idea struck Soul. There was a person, a man no less, _in her closet_! Maybe if she showed Mama that she could handle herself, she could convince her to see the floating lights! But how to explain his unconsciousness to Mama without alerting her of Mara?

She glanced around, snapping her mouth shut.

Maybe she could tell him that she hit him... with a frying pan. Or something.

Soul blinked as Mara began nibbling on the mans purse. The knotted strap had come undone in her many attempts of stuffing him in her closet.

"Mara, no!" she exclaimed, scooping up the little pokémon. "We don't eat other people property!"

Soul blinked, sudden curiosity hitting her. What was in the bag? Despite just lecturing Mara for trying to eat it, Soul assumed he must have had some yummy food in there for Mara, who was usually so well behaved, to try to steal a nibble. Surely he wouldn't mind a peek, would he?

Slowly flipping open the front, she gasped as her hand hit something warm. Slowly, she pulled out a Sneasel. What was a pokémon doing in his purse? Gently cradling the unconscious pokémon, she decided to treat him. Soul carried the Sneasel to her room, placing him on Mara's makeshift bed. Slowly, she grabbed a stand of her hair, and placed it over the pokémon, singing the song.

Soon, the Sneasel was healed of his wounds, simply unconscious.

With nothing better to do, she covered the pokémon with a blanket and continued on her way.

Back in the foyer, she saw Mara poking at something shiny. Due to her love of shiny things, Soul was immediately intrigued, and kneeled down, picking up the object. It was gold, with gemstones lining the entire thing. Glancing thoughtfully at it, she wondered what it was for. Turning around amid her musings, she caught sight of herself holding the item in the mirror.

Then it hit her.

Gently, she placed the thing on her head. Mara blinked in surprise, widening her eyes. Hadn't she seen this somewhere before? It was a long time ago, roughly eighteen years or so, back when she was newly hatched and being presented as a lifelong companion to the...!

"Soul~!" a singsongy voice rang out, cutting both their thoughts off. Soul gasped, whipping around and bumping into the mirror. In a hurried frenzy, she yanked the tiara off her head, grabbed Mara and shoved both of them into a pot with the satchel. "Let down your hair~!"

"I'm coming Mama!" Soul exclaimed, wrenching open the windows and sending her hair down.

"I have a big surprise for you dear!" Mckenzie exclaimed.

"Uh, I do to." Soul exclaimed, heart hammering with anticipation.

"I bet my surprise is bigger!" her mother shot back playfully.

"I seriously doubt it." Soul murmured as she began to pull her mother up. Mckenzie sat on the ledge with a grin.

"I brought back pecha berries." she brought her legs into the tower with a grin. "I'm going to make pecha berry cake for desert, your favorite!" she extended her arms. "Surprise!"

"Well, Mama, I have something big to show you too." Soul smiled, going towards her closet. Mckenzie didn't seem to be listening, though.

"Oh, Soul, you know I simply hate leaving you after a fight, especially since I have done absolutely nothing wrong." she said.

"Mama, I've been thinking a lot about what you said earlier-"

"I hope you're still not talking about the stars." Mckenzie said, back to Soul as she began unloading her basket to bake the cake.

"Floating lights." Soul corrected. "But I'm coming to that, Mama-"

"I really hoped we dropped this, Soul." she said, voice higher than it usually was. Soul swallowed, nerve shaken a bit. Her mother only spoke like that when she was irritated, and her irritation quickly turned to rage.

"No, Mama. I'm just saying that you think I'm not strong enough to handle myself-"

"Oh, darling I _know_ you're not strong enough to handle yourself out there." Mckenzie said in a demeaning tone.

"But if you would just-"

"Soul, we are done talking about this."

"But I wanted to show you-"

"Soul."

"Oh, come on, Mama, you'd be really-"

"Soul."

"Trust me, Mama-"

"Enough of the stars, Soul!" her mother suddenly shrieked, whipping around in a rage and backhanding her. Soul yelped as her cheek stung, collapsing to the ground and shrinking back against the closet. "You are not leaving this tower! _Ever!"_

The last word was yelled so loudly that echoed around the room. Soul, with her hand to her still stinging cheek, flinched at her mothers yelling, bowing her head, sniffling. Then she let out a wail and ran to her room, slamming the door shut. Mckenzie blinked, seeing that some of her hair was still on the staircase. She heard the door open again, and the hair slithered out of her sight. The door then slammed shut with as much strength as before.

Mckenzie then collapsed into her chair with an exasperated sigh.

"Great." she murmured sarcastically. "Now _I'm_ the bad guy."

o.0.o.0.o

It was about an hour when Soul slowly cracked open the door to her room.

"Mama?" she called softly as she came down the stairs.

"What, Soul?" her mother responded, tone just as clipped and irritated as before.

"I... I know what I want for my birthday."

"And what is that?" her tone wasn't at all forgiving, still annoyed.

"New paint." Soul smiled. "New paint made from the seashells you brought me that one time and... and some new canvas. So I won't paint on the walls anymore."

Her mother sighed.

"That's a three day journey, Soul."

"I just... thought it was a better idea then the... stars." the word stars came out oddly, almost forced. She knew they weren't stars. She knew that. But she didn't want to fight with her mother anymore, and in order to appease her, the 'floating lights' were stars.

Mckenzie let out a sigh, standing up.

"You're sure you'll be alright, three days by yourself?" she asked, crossing the room. "I know how much talent you have in the kitchen...

"Or lack thereof." Soul smiled. "I'll just live off pecha berry cake and salad. Then you can come home and make me a splendid feast in celebration."

They came upon a silent agreement. Soul took the time to pack a basket of food for her mother. Her mother, in turn, reassured that she would be back in three days time with her presents.

After watching her mother leave, waving enthusiastically, Soul bolted back inside the tower, turning to her closet.

"I hope he's okay, Mara." Soul said offhandedly as the mareep approached her again. Slowly, she reached for the handles on the closet door, then yanked them open.

Only to see the closet devoid of the man she had shoved in their earlier.

"What-?"

Mara suddenly growled as she felt a rough hand wrap around her neck. She squeaked in surprise, realizing her prisoner had escaped.

"One reason." he said. "One reason why I shouldn't strangle you right now."

"Because tomorrow's my birthday!" Soul squeaked. It would be horrible to die right before her birthday! The man blinked, then scowled, releasing her and shoving her away.

"What are you, twelve?"

"Seventeen." Soul corrected.

"With the mind of a twelve year old." the redhead sighed, running a hand down his face.

"Who are you and how did you find me?" Soul asked, standing up. The man blinked.

"I should be asking you the same thing. Who are _you_ and why are you living in a tower in the middle of no where?"

"I've always lived here!" Soul exclaimed happily. "This is my home."

"So... you're a hermit."

"Hermit? No, I'm not a hermit. I just live alone with my mother, isolated from society!"

He blinked.

"That's a hermit, idiot!"

"It is?"

"Arceus, you're annoying." he sighed, looking around. He then must have realized something, because he began whipping his head around, eyes desperately searching the room. "Where's my satchel?!"

"You mean your purse?" Soul cocked her head.

"Satchel." he corrected.

"Your Sneasel is safe." Soul offered. "A little bruised up, but nothing I couldn't fix~!"

"I don't care about Sneasel!" Silver snapped. "The tiara! Where is the satchel and the tiara inside it?!"

"Ti-ar-a." she spoke each syllable thoughtfully. "So that's what that thing was!"

" _WHERE IS IT?!"_ he roared, finally fed up with her. She blinked, then whimpered.

"Mara!" she cried out.

Then he fell unconscious from an electric shock.

o.0.o.0.o

Silver woke up a little while later, confused, and slightly disoriented. He tried moving his arms, only to find that they were securely bound with light brown...

"Hair?" he blinked, staring at the silky tresses.

Yes indeed. He was tied to the chair with yards upon yards of... hair.

"What the hell...?"

"Who are you?" he jerked his head up at the girls voice. Slowly, she emerged from the shadows, cradling Sneasel with one arm and her Mareep, Mara, standing faithfully beside her. He had heard the argument between her mother and her earlier, and picked up that her name was Soul. "Why are you here?"

"Listen, Soul." he grunted, pulling at the hair again. "I was being chased through the forest, found your tower, and climbed it. The end."

"Does anyone else know of my location?" she demanded. Well, he supposed was a command. It sounded kind of meek, really.

"I didn't even know this was here until I found it." Silver answered honestly. Usually he just lied his way out of any situation, but given that he was dealing with a seemingly childish girl, he figured being honest was the best way to get through to this girl. He glanced around. "Where's my satchel?" he demanded.

"I've hidden it." the girl answered smugly. "In a place you'll never find it." she began walking towards him. "Now, what do you want with my hair?"

"What?"

"To sell it? To cut it?"

"I want to get out of it." Silver responded, tugging at the strands simply to prove his point. She seemed taken aback by that.

"Really? You're serious?"

He fixed her with a blank but serious look.

"Wow, uh... This isn't going as planned..." Suddenly, Silver found himself staring face to face with Mara the Mareep. She seemed to be staring intently at him. Silver stared just as intently back. Slowly, Mara backed away, gesturing for Soul to follow.

Did that electric cotton ball seriously try to intimidate him?

He heard a few mumbled whispers, something about 'needing someone to take her' and 'fangs' and 'floating lights'. Deciding he didn't want to be a part of this idiotic madhouse any longer, he began moving the chair away.

"Okay, mister!" Soul whipped around with a bright grin on her face. "I'm willing to make a deal!"

"What?!" Silver exclaimed angrily. Why couldn't this batty lady just give him back what was his and be done with it?!

"Look this way!" she exclaimed excitedly, turning his chair around then darting over to the mantelpiece. She pulled back the red curtain, grinning. She pointed the painting, which seemed to be that of her watching the lantern show for the princess at a distance. "What are these, mister?"

"You mean the lantern thing they do for the princess each year?" he said blandly.

"Lanterns." she breathed out with a soft smile, looking up at the painting again. "I knew they weren't stars." she snapped her attention back to him, a bright smile on her face. She jumped down. "Listen, mister, if you take me to the lantern show tomorrow evening, bring me back home, safely, I'll give you back your purse,"

"Satchel." Silver interrupted. Soul either didn't care or didn't hear him as she continued.

"With your tiara, and we can all live happily ever after, okay?"

"No." Silver stated.

"No?!" Soul exclaimed, running up, just mere inches from his face. "Why?!"

Silver jerked his head back as far as he could.

"Because there's a reward for my capture and I'm not putting my neck on the line." he stated. "Find someone else. I'll get my satchel on my own."

"But it's your destiny!" Soul cried out, pulling back and throwing her hands in the air.

" _How?"_ Silver demanded.

"It's destiny that brought you to this tower! Destiny to become my guide to the lanterns! It's just like in the fairy tales I read!"

"Life isn't a stupid fairy tale." Silver responded. "But let me get this straight. I take you to the lanterns, bring you back here, and you'll give me back my satchel?"

"Promise!" Soul nodded. Silver contemplated on this for a moment. He had a feeling Soul wasn't going to untie him, or tell him where his satchel was, until he agreed to take her to the stupid lanterns. And he didn't actually want to take the time, the precious time he had, to look for the satchel. This was a tall tower, after all. He knew if he discovered the path so easily, someone else would, on purpose, and he'd be arrested or turned in.

"Fine." he grunted. "I'll take you to see the lanterns."

"Really?!" Soul exclaimed.

"Yes." Silver ground out reluctantly. "Now untie me!"

o.0.o.0.o

It took a few moment for her to untie her hair from the redhead, but she managed to do so. Silver immediately got to his feet and began prepping himself to make the climb down. At this point, Sneasel had awoken. Silver quickly and bluntly explained the situation, and Sneasel, in response, seemed fine with it.

So he began to scale the tower down. Soul went a little slower. With Mara on her shoulder, she hooked her hair over the hook and hesitantly stepped onto the ledge.

"You coming?!" the man snapped, glancing up to see what was taking her so long. Soul sighed, gripping her hair tightly.

"Ready, Mara?" she asked her partner. Mara nodded in response. Gathering up her hair, she tossed it over the ledge. With a sigh to steal her nerves, she leapt off, going down the tower quickly. She halted her movement just before she hit the ground. Dangling for but a moment, she reminded herself there was no easy way out, and slowly lowered her feet to the grass.

She let out a giggle, collapsing to her knees and rolling on her back, doing snow angels in the grass. It tickled a little, but it was so much fun!

"What are you doing?" she opened her eyes and grinned at the man, who managed to get down the wall.

"This is fun!" she laughed.

"If you want to see your lanterns, we've got to move quickly." he said, reaching for her hair and pulling it free of hook. "Lets go."

Soul grinned, excitement bubbling over as she began to gather her seventy feet of hair around one arm.

"I can't believe I did this!" Soul exclaimed excitedly, running out of the cave. She paused as they passed the willow branches. "Oh my Arceus," she said in a nervous tone. Silver glanced back at her. "I can't believe I did this."

o.0.o.0.o

 _"Mama would be so furious."_

 _"But that's okay, what Mama doesn't know won't hurt her, right?"_

 _"Oh my Arceus, this would kill her."_

 _"THIS IS SO MUCH FUUUUUUUN!"_

 _"I am a horrible daughter. I've gotta go back."_

 _"I'M NEVER GOING BAAAAAAAACK!"_

 _"I am a despicable human being."_

 _"WOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOO! Best. Day. EVER!"_

Silver annoyingly leaned against a random rock, with Soul sitting behind it, sobbing into her palms. It's been like this all day, with her being riddled with guilt about leaving her mother to being like a little child, sidetracked by something that made her happy.

Her constant mood swings were annoying him. He was doing this to get his satchel back, and she was hindering them. _Considerably._

Now he was going to put a stop to it.

He stomped around the rock, crossing his arms and nudging her foot. She looked up at him, teary-eyed.

"Listen, ditz." he crossed his arms, Sneasel mimicking the action. "If you're going to cause this much trouble, just go back to the tower, give me my satchel, and we'll part ways."

"I can't turn back!" Soul insisted, picking up Mara. "This is important!"

"Why is it-?!"

A snap of a twig caught both their attention. Soul, all in all, freaked out. Clambering onto Silver's back, she glanced fearfully over his shoulder.

"Is it ruffians? Thugs?! Have they come for me?!"

Silver glanced at her, briefly wondering what this girls mother put into her head to make her think every little snap of a twig was someone out to get her. And what was so important about her stupid hair that she feared someone would steal it?

He wasn't going to say he wasn't nervous. No doubt that those palace guards were still searching for him. He did not want them to suddenly burst from the bush and try to capture him.

He stared intently at a bush, only for a buneary to jump out.

"Don't move." he said flatly. "It can probably smell fear."

"It's cute!" Soul exclaimed, scrambling off him and reaching out to the wild pokémon. After it sniffed her hand, it allowed her to pet it. After a few moments, it jumped away. "Sorry," she said, standing up and brushing off her dress. "I'm kind of jumpy."

"Best we avoid ruffians and thugs, then." Silver muttered, a sudden idea forming in his head. If he couldn't convince her to go back via guilt, why not scare her back? He glanced at her. "Are you hungry? I happen to know a great, nearby place for lunch."

o.0.o.0.o

"Any trace of him yet, Explotaro?" Gold asked his Typholsian, still searching for Silver. Crystal was still unconscious, thrown over Arkee, her Arcanine. He came across a poster that he had drawn of Silver, a poster that he drew as a joke to make Crystal mad when she saw them posted around town.

Now the poster was *bleep*ing him off.

Grabbing it, he angrily tore it to shreds. That guy hurt Crystal. That *bleep*ing bastard had hurt Crystal. He swore, the minute he found that guy, he'd get him charged with attempted murder of the guard.

He suddenly heard a startled yelp, followed by Explotaro's growling. Signaling for Arkee to stay back with Crystal, he stepped out of the bushes, only to see him staring intently at a woman. She seemed startled, but otherwise fine.

"Ugh," she said bitterly. "Simply a palace pokémon." she glanced at Explotaro again. "Where's your rider?"

"Right here, ma'am." Gold said, smiling flirtatiously. He may only have eyes for Crystal, but he knew exactly how to charm women for information.

This woman, however, just stared at him with a serious expression on her face. His smile faltered. The last time this happened was with Crystal.

"Wow, I must be having an off day." he mused, running a hand through his unruly hair. "This doesn't usually happen."

"Can I help you, sir?" she asked.

"We're looking for a thief." he said bluntly. "Stole the princess's tiara, if you can believe that. We've gotten two of them, but one got away. He's a redhead, a little taller than me, with silver eyes."

"I've seen no thief like that." the woman responded.

"Ah, well. That's okay." he mounted Explotaro. "He's an expert as scaling walls and hiding, so no doubt he's long gone."

"Scaling walls? Hiding?" the woman asked, suddenly panicked. Gold blinked.

"Yep. Rumor says he's able to scale at least an eighty-foot tower, with nothing but his bare hands."

"Soul." she murmured under her breath, suddenly whipping around. "Soul!"

Gold blinked as she ran off in the direction she came.

"Maybe that woman is the one who was off." he said simply, settling on his pokémon and going back towards Arkee and Crystal.

o.0.o.0.o

Mckenzie ran as fast as her legs would allow, finally coming upon the tower. She bolted to the bottom, glancing up.

"Soul!" she sang out like she normally did, trying to hide her panic. "Let down your hair!"

Nothing.

"Soul! Soul?!"

Impatient, she stumbled to the side of the tower, panic clear on her face as she began tearing the stones away to the secret entrance to the tower. Managing to get in, she began tearing the rooms in the tower apart, screaming Soul's name.

Realizing she wasn't here, Mckenzie began panicking, heart pounding in fear. That girl kept her young! Her magic flower was gone!

She glanced around, and saw a flash of light shining from a random pot. Confused, as she was sure that pot was used for nothing but decoration, she crossed the room and took out a satchel. Slowly, she opened it, and pulled out a tiara. Staring at it, she realized where she recognized it, she gasped, tossing it away as if it burned her.

The palace... the palace had caught up to her!

She saw a piece of paper in the satchel. A map, perhaps? Unfolding it, she glanced it over, and saw it was a wanted poster for the thief, Silver.

She suddenly, all at once, connected the dots.

The stolen tiara.

His talent for climbing.

His own wanted poster in the bag.

The thief had stolen her magic flower.

Slowly, she stood, crossing the room to a nightstand and opening it, pulling out a dagger.

No one was going to steal her flower again, and come out of it alive.

o.0.o.0.o

"What's going to happen to Uncle Silvey?!" exclaimed Celina, suddenly worried.

"You'll have to find out next time!" V teased, poking her on the forehead.

"I liked the chase scene." Iri grinned.

"Silver is still lame." Aini said, crossing her arms.

o.0.o.0.o

 **So, yeah. My head is kind of pounding. I'm ready for bed. See you next time, everyone!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	15. A Lock of Trouble Part 3

"What's he doing here?" Aini demanded, pointing to the hooded boy sitting in the corner. V blinked, turning her attention to six-year-old Raven, who sat passively in the corner.

"We're babysitting him." V said simply.

"But he's just sitting there!" Aini cried out, as if it was a travesty. "He won't even say anything!"

A pause.

"Say something!" Aini practically screamed at the boy. Raven, with eyes true to his namesake, glanced at her.

"Something." he said in a bored tone.

" _AAAAAARGH! YOU LITTLE-!"_

"Aini!" V said scoldingly. "He's our guest. Be kind to him." she turned to Raven. "We were telling a story about your mother and father. I'm about to move on to part three. Do you want to listen?"

"No." he said flatly.

"Quite the jokester, you." V said, settling on the floor next to him as her children gathered around her. Aini chose to sit on the other side of the room, away from Raven. "Anyways, we were just at the part where Silver is about to introduce Soul to her worst nightmare..."

o.0.o.0.o

 _A Lock of Trouble, Part Three_

Despite Soul's constant pestering, the redhead refused to give her any details on the place he suggested they eat at. He just lead her through the woods until she spotted a faded sign.

"Here it is." he said, showing her the sign. "The Snuggly Mareep."

"Mareep?" Soul blinked, studying the sign. "Like Mara?"

"Like Mara." he nodded.

"Yay!" she ran up to the entrance with Silver behind her, opening the door to reveal...

An empty restaurant.

"Hey!" she blinked at the brunette woman behind the bar. The man crossed the room, allowing the busty woman to hug him over the bartop. "How'd you find this place?"

"By luck. How are you, Blue?"

"Making a living." she winked. "By robbin' people blind."

He rolled his eyes.

"And Turquoise?"

"Happy as ever. She wants to see you, though. When are you coming home?"

"Sooner than later. I'm not going to give you many details, though."

Soul glanced back and forth between the two, wondering what their relationship was. They were obviously close, but in what manner? The differences between them was astounding, what in personality and looks, so she assumed siblings were out.

So that left friends or lovers, right?

"Who's your friend?" Blue asked, glancing at her.

"Soul!" she chirped.

"What can I get you?" Blue asked. "Might wanna be quick, though. We've got a gang of thieves that usually always comes in this time."

Soul paled.

"Gang of thieves?"

"Yeah, comes storming in and pretty much take over the place. Starts fights with each other, most of the time." she sighed. "Oh the blood I had to clean up off my floors."

"Blood?"

"Pools of it."

"You okay, Soul?" she glanced wide-eyed at the redhead.

"F-Fine." she said bravely. "What's to eat?"

Blue grinned.

"Well-"

She was cut off as the door slammed open. Soul snapped her head to the door and felt her heart leap to her throat. Stomping inside was a huge group of people, most of them young men and women, some arguing, some yelling orders, but most wielding sharp weapons, some with blood dripping from them.

"Goody!" Blue exclaimed, clapping her hands. "They're here~!"

"They?" Soul asked, gripping the bartop so tight that her knuckles were white.

"The gang of thieves." she nodded to them. "See over there?" she nodded to a pale blond sitting with a brunette. "That's Jade and Onyx. The former sociopathic and the latter a laughing idiot, known to slain for their enemies without a care and with a grin. That white haired man? Carnelian. He's known to do anything for a coin, even turn coat on his fellow thieves. But rest assured, Opal will do her best to keep him in line. She may look innocent, but she takes training lessons from her brother, Onyx."

And like that, Soul listened as Blue rattled off details about the thieves.

Red, a known leader, lead most of the raids. Yellow was a gentler soul, a kidnapped noble from which no one paid a ransom. The only reason she was still around was because she was a great healer and under Red's protection. Sapphire and Ruby were with them, the latter known for her punch first ask never mentality and the latter for making disguises so great that no one even knew what the gangs real faces looked like. With them was Emerald, who was good at sneaking around and fooling people into a false sense of security with his shortness. Most people thought him a child, which made them drop their guard.

Then there was the dynamic duo, Diamond and Pearl, who served as distractions most of the time on their raids, and Platinum, a turncoat on the nobility, often giving information after her kidnapping and ransom fell through the cracks at her father's death. With them was Topaz, the girl who could curse like a sailor and always had explosives on her at all times. It was her favorite pastime apparently, to blow things up, with or without people inside. Finally, there was Black and White, the former known for destroying/blowing up stuff and the latter known for always having a good strategy for whatever was at hand.

But what stuck with Soul was that most of them had used their weapons against others, some with kills, and since they were known for kidnapping young ladies, some of which actually joined their ranks, she was not willing to stay in the same room as them.

"You're not looking to well." Soul turned to her guide, finding his concern rather odd, but was thankful for it.

"I'm fine." she murmured, though kept her eyes forward. Mara was tapping her cheek, trying to calm her down.

"I think," he said, standing. "We should get you back to your tower. Call it a day." he guided her to the door. "If you can't handle a bar full of thieves then you probably can't handle the city, which is filled to the brim with murders, rapists, kidnappers, gangs, more thieves..." he trailed off, counting each one off until they reached the door, only for it to slam in their face. Soul jolted, stumbling back as one of the thieves, the one she recalled being Sapphire, pointed to her guide.

"This you, pretty boy?" she asked gruffly. He blinked at the poster and moved her hand away, only to reveal a rather bloated face with narrow eyes, a tepig nose, and big lips. Soul glanced back and forth between the poster and her guide, finding the only similarity being their hairstyle.

"Now he's doing it just to be an jack*bleep*." her guide muttered in an irritated tone.

"Oh, it's him all right." Soul turned to Topaz, who was approaching them with a malicious grin on her face. She grabbed the front of his shirt as Soul cowered behind him. "Emerald, go find some guards!" she barked with a grin. "That reward money is gonna buy me some nice new *bleep*ing explosives."

"What about me?" someone wrenched him from her grasp. Soul whipped around with a gasp as Sneasel began trying to fight Onyx to get her guide out of a headlock. Onyx glanced at the pokémon, then booted it across the room. "Jade and I've been eying up that little cottage we've wanted for a while now!"

"No way!" Pearl shouted, punching Onyx in the face and pinning her guide to the floor. "Being a thieving comedian isn't a profitable business you know, especially with the way Red lead it! Dia and I are broke!"

And thus, mass chaos. Soul knew there was no loyalty among thieves, but this was ridiculous! They were friends, weren't they?! They were practically killing each other over her guide. The only one's who weren't really fighting was Jade, who sat calmly and watched the fight with a bemused expression, Yellow, who was cowering, Platinum, who simply sipped her drink like nothing was wrong, Ruby, who was yelling at them to stop acting so barbarous only to begin fighting with Sapphire, Dia, who was simply eating his food until Pearl and Topaz demanded he get in and fight, and Red and White, who looked to be trying to defuse the situation but ended up getting dragged into it.

"Let him go!" she exclaimed, punching one of them weakly on the back. They simply shoved her off like an annoying bug type. "He's my guide!" she exclaimed. "Please!"

Again, she was shoved back, this time, she was shoved against the bar, where Blue was seemingly panicking herself.

"I can't believe they somehow managed to pin one of those up in this place!" she exclaimed, coming out from behind the bar. "Get off of him! That's my brother!" Her cries went unanswered as she wrenched Dia off of her guide. Getting the worst fighter hardly seemed to help, as Onyx and Sapphire was already holding her guide's arms while Topaz was ready to punch him unconscious.

Soul, thinking quickly, reached behind the bar, grabbed an oddly placed frying pan, and smashed it over Topaz's head.

A resounding _BONG_ the entire bar fell silent, everyone staring at her.

"Put him down!" she exclaimed, dropping the pan once she got their attention. Topaz slowly looked over her shoulder, glaring with red hot fire. "Listen! I have no idea where I am and I need him," she pointed to her guide. "To show me to the kingdom so I can see the floating lanterns because I've been _dreaming_ of it since forever!" she took a deep breath, somehow managing to get the speech out in. "Find your humanity! Haven't any of you ever had a dream?!"

Topaz turned around fully, pulling a dagger from her belt.

"You leave her out of this!" her guide exclaimed, suddenly beginning to struggle against their grip. "She's got nothing to do with the reward money!"

Soul backed up until she was back against the bar, arched over fearfully as Topaz practically shoved the dagger under her nose.

"Do you know who we are, girl?" she asked. Soul shrugged. "We aren't complete barbarians." she tucked away the dagger. "Ever hear of Robin Hood and his Merry Men?"

"The old tale?!" Soul exclaimed. "I love fairy tales like that!"

"Meet the *bleep*ing remakes." Topaz jerked her head around the room. "We've got our leader, Red, and the rest of us are the..." she trailed off. "Ah, *bleep*. No way in hell I'm calling myself 'merry'."

"You steal from the rich and give to the poor?" Soul asked, entranced.

"We steal from the rich and give... most to the poor." Red clarified. "We have to keep a little for ourselves."

"We usually don't tell everyone about this." Sapphire grunted. "Make's us look bad in the criminal underworld."

"Which means we can't trade stolen goods as easy." White explained.

"All in all, we do know what it's like to have a dream." Black grinned, bringing a fist to his chest. "I'm not called the Dreamer for nothing!"

"Nobles are rich and greedy and annoying." Pearl shrugged. "We know what it's like to starve."

"Yellow and Platinum weren't kidnapped." Diamond grinned. "They joined our ranks willingly."

"The kidnapping makes us sound tougher." Ruby shrugged.

o.0.o.0.o

Silver watched in awe as Soul somehow managed to befriend the thieves that seemed so willing to tear him to shreds just minutes earlier. They were even sitting down next to him and drinking with them. Topaz was already drunk, howling with laughter as they all exchanged stories.

"You must be some hotshot thief for the palace guards to be hunting ya." Sapphire said with a smirk. Silver moved his gaze, realizing that she was talking to him. "What's your story, stranger?"

"None of your business." Silver grunted back. Sapphire nodded to Soul, who was happily chatting with Yellow and White.

"She know who ya are?"

"No." Silver said. "I'm not dragging her into that. She's just an annoying girl who doesn't know a thing about the world around her. I'm taking her to the lanterns, bringing her back, and that's that. She doesn't need to know anything else."

"Don't jade 'er to much." Sapphire stated. "Ya don't see people like her often. World's to *bleep*ed up."

Silver thought about that for a moment. Maybe that was why her mother locked her in the tower? To preserve that childish innocence? If that was the case, he didn't blame her. The world was a scary, dangerous place, filled with Arceus know's what. Soul did't know anything about the world. He couldn't comprehend how she could simply be so trusting and kind all at once. Her trust in the goodness of people was a mix of sickening disgust and odd fascination.

He might even say it was endearing.

"Well, Silvy, I didn't think you had it in you." he glared up at Blue.

"Don't say my name in front of her." he muttered harshly.

"You gonna keep your girlfriend around? Green and I've got an extra guest room for you to share. You can get on with making Turquoise's cousins."

"I've only met her this morning!" Silver hissed. "You're disgusting."

"Hey, love at first sight, just like with me and Green." Blue grinned. "How much longer are you going to stay away, though? You know about this place. You know we're always willing to welcome you."

"You know I can't escape unless I have a lot of money or protection." he glanced at her. "I honestly thought you married Green for said reasons."

"Jerk." Blue huffed. "I had to work for his affections, thank you."

"Must have been terribly hard." Silver muttered sarcastically.

"You know it!" Blue laughed, smacking him on the shoulder.

Suddenly, the door slammed open, and Emerald ran in with an excited look on his face.

"I found the guards!" he exclaimed. Everyone looked at him, horrified. Emerald blinked. "What?"

"YA IDIOT!" Sapphire exclaimed as Silver jumped up, grabbing Soul's wrist and dragging her behind the bar. He helped her gather up her hair as they heard Emerald get shoved aside.

"Where is that redheaded plunderer?!" he heard Gold exclaim. "This got personal with what he did earlier! Where is he?!" Silver ducked under the bar with Soul's hair, then passed it to her as she wrapped it around her arm. The girl was shivering next to him, then jumped as Gold's fist slammed onto the bartop. "Find him at any cost!"

He didn't expect someone like Gold, who he heard was lazy and carefree, to get so angry. Was he that mad that Crystal fell off the cliff? Did he blame him for that? Idiotic! She was the one who chased him onto the branch!

Slowly, he peeked out from under the bar, and watch as they brought Will and Carl in, arms chained in shackles. He jolted, ducking back under. Those two had it out to get him, and he was not willing to even let them get a glance at him.

Suddenly, a hand flashed in front of his face. Silver blinked, eyes flicking to Red's face. His gaze shot to the left, then back to him. He gestured for them to follow, and both crawled out with their pokémon beside them. Red pushed down on a certain beer tap, revealing a secret passage that fell behind the bar.

"Blue and Green installed this after we told them about our mission." he explained. "A secret escape should we need it. Seems they're after you this time, though." he then turned to Soul. "Go and live your dream. Come back and pay us a visit though, will you?"

"Of course!" Soul chirped as a promise. "Thanks for everything."

Red grinned.

"We'll keep an eye out for you if you ever need help." he urged them forward, passing a torch into Silvers hands. "Now go."

o.0.o.0.o

Blue watched nervously as Gold searched through her bar with some other guards. Red had already gotten Soul and Silver out, but she was seriously nervous they would arrest the thieves as they were, in fact, notorious thieves. And then, in turn, arrest her for hiding thieves. She had a family to raise! A little daughter at home, barely a year old! What was she going to do should they arrest someone?

"I think," Sapphire announced, holding up a drunk Topaz by her arm. "This is th' gal yer lookin' fer!"

"Ya gots meh!" Topaz slurred with a happy grin, holding out her arms, as if prepared for shackles. Blue rolled her eyes at Topaz's low tolerance for alcohol. "Take meh aways!"

"The person we're for is a redheaded _male."_ Gold said, crossing his arms in irritation.

"Sir!" Blue glanced up at the soldier who had searched the upper floors. "He's not here."

"Such a shame." she called out with an overdramatic sigh. "This is such a waste of time. Now hurry along. Unless, of course, you'd like to drink yourselves silly?"

She could tell the notoriously lecherous sketch artist was having trouble avoiding the offer. But just as she was sure he would accept the offer, the front door was kicked open.

Literally kicked open.

Blue was prepared to yell at the rude person who practically kicked the door to her tavern off the hinges, only to see blue colored hair in pigtails walking through the room. Blue all but shut her mouth at the sight of the lead guard. Crystal glanced about on the ground, as if searching for something.

Slowly, she bent down and picked up a single, long strand of light brown hair.

"Light brown." she said, glancing around, as if taking in all hair colors.

"That's mine." Blue blurted. "Sorry if it's against healthcode and all. This stuff just falls out when I'm under stress."

Crystal responded simply by taking the end, and gently running her hands along the hair, holding the two ends with her arms spread wide. Blue swallowed, though kept her composure. No doubt that was Soul's hair with the color and length. Crystal followed the small strand, wrapping it around her fingers until she came behind the bar and paused.

"Clever." she commented, turning and pressing down on random levers and beer taps until she found the one that opened the passage.

"A secret passage." Gold said, widening his eyes.

"Seems so." Crystal nodded. "Gold, call Explotaro. Arkee!" she called her pokémons name as Gold called for his, watching as the two fire types smashed through the door to their respective owners. "We're going after Silver!" Crystal said, glancing back at the soldiers. "Secure this tavern and anyone in it for further investigation!"

Blue watched as they stormed down the passage, then slowly turned her attention back to the guards.

"Sorry, dears." she said offhandedly. "But it'll take a lot more than three or four guards to detain _my_ tavern and those who frequent it."

And like that, chaos ensued. The gang of thieves began beating on the guards as they tried to subdue them. Blue giggled amusingly, watching over the bar.

Her gaze suddenly snapped to where Will and Carl were standing previously.

"Where...?" she whipped around, just barely catching the sight of Will's garish outfit as they disappeared down the passage. "No!" she dove for the passage, only for it to close shut. She whipped back to the lever to see it, reaching for it, only for a guard to get thrown over the end, snapping the lever free. "No!" she cried out, trying to futilely reattach it. That failing, she tried to move the lever, but all her attempts were in vain.

She turned back to the passage with a worried look on her face. If Silver betrayed Will and Carl, Arceus knows what will happen.

"Silver..." she trailed off, grinding her teeth together. "Don't go doing something that will get you killed."

o.0.o.0.o

Mckenzie watched in disgust as the thieves inside began fighting.

Hearing a startled cry, she watched as a brunette with her hair in a ponytail stumbled out, obviously getting disoriented in the fight. An idea striking her, she yanked the girl up and brought her dagger to her throat. Making sure her cloak was up, she slammed the door open, she pressed the knife closer to the girls neck, eliciting a scream that caught attention of all the thieves.

"White!" a boy with spiky brown hair exclaimed.

"Now that I have your attention," she said forcing the girl forward and thrusting the knife under the tavern-owners nose. The young woman said nothing, eyeing the knife then bringing her blue orbs back up to her face, as if trying to think of a plan. "Tell me where that tunnel lets out. And be truthful, dear," she smirked a dark, ominous smirk. "Less this girl gets her throat slit."

o.0.o.0.o

Soul was absolutely ecstatic as she followed after her guide through the tunnel. They spent the first few minutes running, but after Silver took a moment to being sure they weren't being followed. After a minute, with Mara's help, they lit the torch.

"I'm surprised with how you handled yourself back there." he said after a moment.

"I know, right?!" Soul exclaimed excitedly.

"But then again," he continued, looking over his shoulder. "What if those were ruffians who didn't want to help the poor? What if they were truly out to get the reward money?" he turned fully. "That was a stupid move. You could've been hurt. Badly."

Soul blinked, then lowered her head.

"Sorry." she murmured. Her guide let out a sigh.

"But, I suppose if you didn't do that, I'd be in shackles by now." he said, turning back around. "Not to shabby for a girl who's never fought before."

"T-Thanks!" Soul beamed. Her guide rolled his eyes, then turned back around. As he continued walking, she did a silent happy dance. She didn't know why it made her so happy to have impressed him, but her heart was hammering and she was so happy she could burst into song and dance.

Of course, she knew if she burst into song, she'd look like an utter idiot. But dancing was totally fine, right?

Over her fit of happiness, she glanced back at her guide, then slowly tucked some hair behind her ears, following after him with a small grin. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Mara looking at her strangely, but she said nothing to acknowledge the odd look.

"What's you name?" she asked, jogging up next to him and crossing her arms behind her back.

"I don't do backstories." he responded.

"But I didn't ask for your backstory. I asked for your name!" Soul clarified.

"No." Soul pouted at his stubbornness. "But," he continued. "I would like to know about yours."

"My name? It's Soul!" she said cheerfully.

"You backstory, moron." he responded. "I know I'm not allowed to ask about the hair or why it's seventy feet long, and frankly, I'm a little weirded out by your overprotective electric cottonball,"

"Her name is Mara." Soul defended, petting Mara to calm her down.

"But I do have one question." he paused, turning to her. "If you want to see the lanterns so badly, why haven't you ever gone before?"

Soul stopped walking.

"Um... well..."

She paused her thought process as the sound of footsteps began echoing around them. Slowly, she turned, and saw two men chasing after them.

"Traitor!" the older one roared, his pounding footsteps echoing around them.

"Soul, run." her guide muttered.

"What?" she asked, glancing fearfully between the two men and Silver.

"I mean it," he said as he began scooping up armfuls of her hair, shoving it into her arms then grabbing his own armful. "Go! Run!"

Then they were bolting down the tavern.

"Sneasel," her guide yelled, grabbing her arm with his spare hand to get them to run faster. "Night slash!"

The pokémon hissed in agreement, summoning the move and attacking their pursuers. Soon after this, they stumbled out of the mouth of the cave, her guide long since tossing the torch aside so the two men wouldn't have a light to follow. Soul glanced around in a panic, seeing they were on a cliff surrounded by some sort of waterworks or something.

"What's going on?!" Soul exclaimed as they neared the edge near a rickety ladder, catching sight of the exit cave, her guide holding her arms so she wouldn't fall over.

"I cheated those guys out of a deal." he responded simply. Both heard a faint crash down below, and Soul recognized the male, but not the female. Palace guards?

"And those guys?!"

"People who want to arrest me." he responded. Soul glanced around nervously, trying to find a way to escape. She glanced up at the rafters, then shoved Mara into his arms, causing him to drop her hair.

"Hold Mara!" she exclaimed, grabbing up the end of her hair and praying that her plan would work. She then threw it out like one would a rope, and watched as it lashed around a rafter.

"Soul, what are you-"

She cut off her guide as she swung across the chasm and landed on a ledge on the other side. She whipped around, unwinding her hair from the rafter and grabbing the end again. On the other side, she saw Silver dodging the attacks from the two men who were chasing him. She had to wait for him to stop moving if she was going to help them.

"Mara!" she shouted across the chasm. "Thunder Wave!"

Mara let out a cry of affirmation, then unleashed the attack, stunning their enemies for a moment. Her guide stood still for a moment, turning to her.

"Hold up your hand!" she shouted. Her guide blinked, then scooped up Mara and his Sneasel, holding out his hand. Just as the two men were regaining consciousness, Soul snatched her guides wrist in her her hair and yanked. He was swooping over the chasm, conveniently over the two guards chasing them, then landed on another scaffolding. She sighed at him being safe, but turned as she heard a loud sound.

She widened her eyes at the two men already up, them and their pokémon working on knocking down a pillar. All at once, it was down, and the older one in the less garish outfit was practically sprinting across the pillar.

"Soul!" she turned her attention back to her guide. "Jump!"

Soul swallowed, then exhaled to steel her nerves. Then she took a flying leap from the cliff...

Only to have her hair snatched up by the man following her.

She let out a shriek of fear, clawing at his arm as he wrapped it around her neck.

"Ha!" he shouted down to her guide. "Not so tough now, are you, traitor?!"

"Carl!" her guide roared, keeping a strong grip on the other end of her hair. "Let her go!"

"Yay!" the other man clapped. "A hostage! A hostage!"

"Carl! Will!" her guide shouted. "I'll kill you!"

"To bad, to sad!" Will sang.

"Let me go!" Soul exclaimed, kicking at Carls legs and punching at his arms. He grunted in slight annoyance, but said nothing.

"Explotaro, flamethrower!"

Soul shrieked as fire practically scorched her head. Carl let go to protect himself, giving her the chance to leap off the cliff as her guide had requested earlier. She managed to land on the ground, yanking her hair from her guide and bolting across the ground. She spotted her guide sliding down the wooden water slide on his feet, looking quite dashing, she thought, if not for fluffy little Mara on his shoulder.

He landed a little close behind her, snatching up the ends of her hair as Carl and Will managed to chase after them, fighting the two for who would get her guide first.

Soul turned to look over her shoulder, crying out as water suddenly rushed at them.

"The dam." her guide muttered. "Dammit, we breached the dam!"

And with that, he began running faster, almost dragging her behind him in a desperate attempt to outrun the tsunami trying to swallow them.

"Crystal!" she heard a male voice exclaimed.

" _GOLD!"_ she heard a female voice scream, followed by the startled cry of a female and pokémon. This was followed closely by the screams of two men, and Soul knew that that the guards, Crystal and Gold, most likely with their pokémon, with those two men that her guide knew, were all swallowed by the water.

"Oh, no...!" she exclaimed as she felt water lapping at her heels.

"Go, Soul, go!" her guide cried out as she felt a shadow fall over them. She dared a glance over her shoulder, letting out a terrified wail as a huge stone was falling towards them. There was a small cave entrance right there. Just a little longer...!

Both ducked into the cave, both them and their pokémon alive, though blunged in darkness as the stone blocked the cave. Her guide ran back to the rock, trying to see if there was a gap that would allow them escape, only to be soaked by water. He stumbled back, Soul whimpering as water began rushing in.

"Up!" her guide cried. "Climb up! Up!" Soul nodded, clambering up the rocks, only to bonk her head.

"No!" she cried. "No, no, no!"

"Soul!" her guide scrambled up the rocks, only to find what she found. A dead end.

Soul suddenly found the water up to her waist. She cried out, glancing around in a desperate attempt to see a way out. Mara and Sneasel clambered onto a rock as her guide dove down in an attempt to find a way out. In a few moments, he popped up again, taking deep breaths before diving back down. Soul was trying to get some rocks loose in an attempt to be free.

Her guide popped up again, hair plastered to his face, throwing himself against the stones, trying to find a loose spot. He hissed slightly, and Soul wondered if he cut his hand. There was a moment of silence, then he dove back down.

Even on her higher perch, Soul felt the water creeping up around her waist, causing the skirt of her dress to float around her legs. Her guide popped up, leaning against the stones as he breathed.

"It's no use." he said, shaking his head. "I can't see anything."

"You're lying!" Soul shrieked in response, the panicked, shrill sound echoing across the stone walls. She glanced around, squinting for a moment, then took a deep breath and dove down.

She didn't get far, though. A pair of strong hands wrapped around her biceps, yanking her up.

"Soul, listen." she blinked, feeling him turn her around so he can talk to her face to face. She barely able to see his silver eyes in front of her. "There's no point. It's pitch black down there."

Soul was silent, bowing her head slightly, realizing death was upon her. Tears formed, streaming down her face as the water rose to her chest.

"This is all my fault." she sniffled. "Mama was right. I never should have done this." Regret filled her as she looked up at her silver-eyed companion, full on sobs. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

There was a moment of silence, then she felt his arms wrap around her, stroking her damp hair in some, if any, comfort.

"Silver." he said. Soul blinked.

"W-What?"

"My name." he clarified. "My name is Silver. I didn't want to tell you because I was caught up with people like Carl and Will, and I didn't want to drag you into that sort of life. I thought the best way to keep you out of danger was to have you know as little information about me as possible." a low sigh. The water sloshed around their shoulders. "Hell of a lot that did."

"Silver." she tested the name on her tongue. "That's nice."

 _"Silver and Soul."_ she thought. " _Soul and Silver."_

"I have magic hair that glows when I sing." she confessed. What the hey, right? If they were all gonna die, she might as well have someone else know. Silver pushed her back, blinking in surprise.

"What?"

Soul paused, gears suddenly turning in her head.

"I have magic hair," she said excitedly, grasping some of the locks. "That glows when I sing!"

Silver probably thought she was crazy right now. But she didn't care. If she could get just a few lyrics out...!

" _Flower gleam and glow,  
_ _Let your magic shine...!"_

She took a deep breath, hearing Silver do the same as they were suddenly submerged in water.

o.0.o.0.o

Despite being submerged in darkness, Silver kept his eyes open, as if praying for a way to see. He had all but dismissed Soul's earlier admission of having magic glowing hair, until the cavern was suddenly filled with a golden glow.

He watched as Soul slowly opened her eyes, cocking her head and smiling, the glowing tendrils flowing around her like a mythical halo. Mara and Sneasel was floating beside her. She looked like something akin to an angel. He gasped in surprised, though quickly smacked his hands over his mouth to stop the foolish mistake.

He saw some of the hair getting tugged somewhere, and saw it being sucked into a small hole. Air bubbles. Both frantically began pulling at the rocks as the hair lost it's glow, plunging them in darkness. Silver was rushing as quickly as possible, his bare hand blasted by cool air. He began pushing at the rocks, then suddenly, the whole wall collapsed, sending them both tumbling out.

They were carried down a gentle stream for a moment, before both scrambled onto the shore with their pokémon at their side, gasping for air.

"We're alive." Soul grinned, pushing her hair out of her face.

"Her hair glows." Silver muttered, flopping on his back, to utterly exhausted to care if his boots were soaked.

"We're alive!" she cried out, standing up with a cry of joy. "Silver!"

"It actually glows." he said, laying an arm over his face. "I actually didn't see that coming."

"Silver!"

He rolled back over and glanced at Mara the Mareep and Sneasel were staring at him.

"Why does her hair glow?!"

"Silver!"

He blinked as Soul stood over him with an aloof smile, sopping hair sticking to her face as she spoke.

"It doesn't just glow."

o.0.o.0.o

Mckenzie stood hidden behind some rocks, expertly wielding her dagger, prepared to slash the throat of Silver the thief should he come stumbling out. She watched with wild anticipation as the door moved...

Only for a black haired man to stumble out, hacking and coughing.

She darted back behind the rock, watching as another man with dark purple hair stumbled out, a xatu and a houndoom following them.

"That damned boy," the taller one said as his garishly dressed friend stood next to him. "I'll kill him! I'll kill Silver!"

Mckenzie listened as the two, who called themselves Will and Carl, discussed their plan back and forth. About how they planned to get revenge against Silver. About how they needed to find the tiara.

A sly smirk creeped onto her face, ducking away her knife and gripping the strap to the satchel.

"Ooooor~." she sang out, catching their attention. Both slowly turned, looking at her. She smiled slyly. "Perhaps you would like to stop running around like wild pokémon chasing their tails and think for a moment." at the end of her sentence, she held up the satchel, almost mockingly. The two stared at it in awe before taking action.

"Xatu-!"

"Houndoom-!"

"Oh please," she waved her hand dismissively. "There's no need for that." she casually tossed the bag to them. Will caught it, but Carl wrenched it from his grasp, pulling out the tiara. Both chuckled greedily at the sight of their prize. "Well then, if that's all you desire then be on your way." she studied her fingernails for a moment, smirking. "I _was_ going to offer you something worth a thousand crowns. Would've made you filthy rich it would, and that's not even the best part." she laughed. "Ah, well, alls well that ends well. Enjoy your..." she trailed off, taunting them. " _Crown."  
_

A long pause.

"What's the best part?" Will asked suspiciously. She turned.

"It comes with revenge," she held up his wanted poster to prove her point. "On Silver."

Another pause.

"What's your plan, lady?" Carl asked. Mckenzie smiled, walking up to them.

"I'll need this," she said, taking the satchel. "As a bit of bait, yes?"

"I... suppose." Carl said, though seemed reluctant.

"Now then," she said, pressing the tips of her fingers together. "How much do you think one would pay to be young, forever?"

o.0.o.0.o

Silver didn't say anything as he watched Soul dutifully wrap her hair around his injured had. He could practically feel the wound throbbing, no doubt filled with infection and splinters after he gathered firewood for the crackling fire that provided them warmth.

"What are you doing?" he finally asked. He let out a hiss as she pulled the strands to tight, jerking his hand back.

"Sorry!" Soul winced, as if feeling his pain. He fixed her with a blank stare, waiting to see what she would do next. "Just..." she trailed off, still gently holding his hand. "Don't freak out?" the sentence ended as if she was asking a question.

Silver hardly believed anything else that happened to him today would surprise him. After all, he's escaped capture and death more times than he had in his entire life, and he's been stealing from people since he was a child. To calm her nerves, he nodded, a promise he wouldn't flip out over whatever was to happen next. She exhaled.

 _"Flower, gleam and glow,"_ Silver watched as she began the song, closing her eyes. At her roots, her hair began to glow, forming that angelic halo again.

 _"Let your power shine  
_ _Make the clock reverse  
_ _Bring back what once was mine,"_

He watched in odd fascination as the golden light travelled down her hair, glittering ang gleaming against the dark forest floor.

 _"Heal what has been hurt  
_ _Change the fates' design,"_

His gaze caught Mara's, who held up her paw with a smug look. Silver slowly brought his gaze down to his hand, watching as the golden glow circled the hand around his finger, bringing on a bit of warmth.

 _"Save what has been lost  
_ _Bring back what once was mine…"_

 _"What once was mine..."_

As she finished her song, she opened her eyes, staring hopefully at him. The glow faded from her hair. Silver lifted his hand, slowly unwrapping the strands, opening his mouth in slight surprise as the brown locks fell away.

The cut was gone.

"Don't freak out!" Soul exclaimed. Silver blinked, then closed his mouth, turning towards the fire.

"As if I'd freak out over something as trivial as healing." he crossed his arms, casting her an intense glance. "Though I am curious about your hair and the magic qualities it seems to possess. How long has it been doing that?"

"Forever?" Soul mused. "Mama said when I was a baby, people tried to cut it. They wanted to take it for themselves." she reached for some of her hair, brushing it back, revealing a single, shoulder-length lock of hair. "But when it's cut, it looses it's power and stops growing." she awkwardly scratched her cheek. "A gift like that need's to be hidden. Kept safe. Protected. That's why Mama never let me..." she paused, swallowing uncomfortably. "Let me..."

"You never left that tower." Silver said, connecting the dots, suddenly feeling sorry for the girl. He knew what it was like to never be able to leave a place, and he hated it. But he always had the option of breaking out. Recalling the argument Soul had with her mother earlier in the day, he assumed her mother turned violent when she dared to disobey. Slowly, almost pulled by something other than his brain, his fingers brushed the cheek he had seen swollen earlier. "And when she hits you when you ask to go."

"That was only once." Soul bowed her head. "I was being irritating. It... should have been expected."

"No mother should ever hit her child, no matter how annoying she is." Silver said, dropping his hand. "And _you_ shouldn't expect physical retaliation for a simply task like leaving your home. You're a prisoner. Do you even realize that?"

"I'm not a prisoner." Soul stated, lowering her gaze. "Mama expects me home, okay? Home is that tower."

"Do you want to go back?"

Silver could practically see the conflict on her face at the question. Sighing, she turned with a bright grin on her face.

"So your name is Silver?" she asked. He blinked at the change of subject. "Where'd you get that from?"

"Well, it sounded better than 'kidnapped child who was taken so young that he can't even remember his real name'."

"You were kidnapped?" Soul asked. Silver scowled, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm not all good at telling stories, so don't get all *bleep*y." he said. "I don't remember my mom or my dad. I was kidnapped by a man known only as Mask. Blue was too, but she remembers. She told me we were kidnapped. He wanted to create a guild of children thieves, so feared that they were threats to everyone. He wanted professional assassins, thieves, kidnappers... you name it and we can probably do it."

"A master criminal, taking on apprentices." Soul murmured.

"I suppose." Silver agreed. "Anyways, Blue married her way out. She married a researcher or something and is actually under royal protection." he smirked. "Seems that the Oak family line aren't half bad as advisors."

"So why is Blue running a pub in the middle of nowhere?" Soul asked.

"A scam." Silver said. "Robs some rich travelers blind. Helps Red's gaggle of thieves."

"And... you? How do you plan on escaping?"

"With that tiara." Silver said. "I was going to sell it, piece by piece, and drop off the face of the earth for a while. Then come back when I was sure Mask forgot about me."

"I'm sorry I messed that up." Soul said. Silver responded simply by flicking her in the forehead.

"You messed up nothing." he stated. "As for where my name came from, Blue and I were partnered together. When I was shoved in the same room as her, she asked what my name was, and all I could think of was the silver moonlight streaming through the barred windows." he leaned back with a sigh. "I suppose I figured 'Silver' sounded better than 'Moonlight'."

Soul giggled, shifting closer to him.

"I think Moonlight is a pretty name!"

"For a girl maybe." Silver said. "Anyways, that's my story." he stood up crossing his arms. "As I said before, I didn't want to drag you into the criminal underworld you're too... innocent. To kind. It would be like throwing a flower into a pit of fire. You wouldn't last long, now I'm even more convinced of that with that hair of yours."

"You aren't going to leave me, are you?!" Soul exclaimed. Silver rolled his eyes.

"I promised you the lanterns and you'll get to see the lanterns." he said. "I'm going to go gather firewood."

He stood up, going into the darkness, only to be stopped as Soul spoke.

"You know," Soul said as he turned back. "If I had to choose between adventuring with you and the tower, I'd choose you, Silver."

Silver paused, then shook his head.

"You must be the only idiot to follow a trained murderer."

As Silver walked away, he decided he couldn't exactly ignore the odd warmness in his chest.

o.0.o.0.o

Soul stared admirably at Silver's back, a rather goofy look on her face, watching as his red hair slowly faded away into the darkness.

"Well," a shrill voice exclaimed. Soul jolted at the familiarity, jolting around as her mother lowered her cowl. "I thought he'd never leave."

"M-M-M-M-M-Mama?!" Soul exclaimed, stumbling away from her as her mother wrapped her arms around her. "How did you find me?!"

"Oh, it was simple, really." she responded. "I just listened to the sound of complete and utter betrayal and followed that."

Soul sighed.

"Mama..."

"We're going home, Soul." she said, pulling back. "Now."

"Mama, you don't understand. This journey has been incredible and I've learned so much and... and I even met someone."

"Yes, the wanted thief, you do me so proud." she responded sarcastically. "Come on, Soul."

"No! Mama, wait a minute!" Soul wrenched her hand back. "I... I think he might like me!"

"Like's you? You've only known him a day, and vice-versa. I've watched him, Soul, he's got a heart of ice. This is why you should have never left the tower. You get so _emotional_ and such, it's no wonder you're blowing every little thing he does out of proportion."

"But every little thing Silver does is important!" Soul argued.

"Dear, this whole romance that you've invented proves that you're to naive to be out here, interacting with people. I mean really," she bolted around her, cupping her face. "I mean, like you? Really? Look at you! You think he'd honestly be impressed when he has that blue eyed brunette back at the pub? Don't be _stupid_ Soul. Come home, with Mama."

" _No!"_ Soul exclaimed, stepping back.

"No?" her mother said warningly. A pause. "Oh? Well, then, I see how it is." she placed a hand on her hip, beginning to talk in a demeaning tone. "Soul know's best, Soul is so mature now, such a clever grown up miss." she patted her on the head like she was a little girl. Soul flinched in response, backing away from her, the dark sneer on her mothers face unsettling. Her mother grabbed at her chin, digging her nails in and successfully leaving a scratch along her jawbone. "Soul knows best. Soul thinks she can handle herself. Well than, give him _this!"_

Soul jolted as she held out the tiara, satchel on her wrist.

"H-How did you-?!"

" _This_ is why he's still around, Soul!" she said, throwing the crown at her. "Open your eyes! He wants nothing to do with you! Just the crown! Once he has it, he's gone! But then again, if Soul know's best, then everything will be just fine! Just remember," Soul watched in horror as her mother stomped away. "If he's lying, don't come crying to me!"

And with a flutter of her cloak, she disappeared into the night.

Soul stood there dumbfounded for a moment, staring after her mother, wondering how she managed to disappear in such a short amount of time.

"Soul?" she squeaked in surprise as a hand came down on her shoulder. She backed away from Silver in surprise. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." she responded with a small smile, keeping the satchel behind her back. "Just lost in thought, I suppose."

Silver rolled his eyes, tossing some wood on the fire.

"Ditz."

o.0.o.0.o

"... He's asleep." Aini deadpanned. "How could Raven had possibly-?!"

"Shh!" V hushed, staring at the boy, sitting in the corner with his head ducked down, sleeping peacefully.

"It's rude!" Aini responded.

"You're one to talk." Iri giggled.

"Be quiet." V said. "Celina, do you mind if Raven used you room for the night?"

"I don't mind." Celina shrugged. "Let me get Zoey."

As the three kids skittered out of the room, V gently lifted Raven into her arms, the boy snorting slightly in response, but otherwise still asleep.

"Mama," Celina asked, staring at her with Zoey the Zorua in her arms. "Where am I sleeping?"

"How about with Mama?" V offered quietly. "I'm going to put Raven in your room."

"You wanna know what Nysa-Eon had?" Celina smiled. "Stars on her ceiling. It was pretty."

"Sounds beautiful." V responded, laying Raven down. "Head to bed. I'm going to call someone, okay?"

"Okay!" Celina chirped, running off. V listened for the door to shut, then eased downstairs and picked up the phone, waiting for an answer.

" _What?"_ a gruff voice on the other end demanded.

"A ray of sunshine as always, Silver." V responded. "Anyways," she smiled. "I just figured out how to keep Raven from laying awake in bed at night."

o.0.o.0.o

 **Well, well, well. We're tied between MangaQuest and Franticshipping! Respond in the reviews on which story you want next and what fairy tale should be told!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	16. A Lock of Trouble Part 4

"Uncle Silvy!" Iri shrieked happily, immediately latching onto his favorite 'relative' as soon as he walked through the door. Soul was behind him, holding onto Raven's hand as Silver tried to pry himself from Iri's grasp. The youngest boy looked up at Silver with a bright grin. "Hi."

"Get off." he muttered gruffly. The boy complied, grinning happily.

"Uncle Silver," Aini said, crossing the room and glaring up at him. "Your son is like you. You both have the personality of a rock."

Silver glared at her.

"Say thank you!" Soul scolded lightly.

"That was an insult." Silver said. Raven didn't respond, simply walking past his mother and father and going around the corner.

"I'm sure it wasn't..." Soul trailed off, glancing from her son to Aini.

"I was." Aini spat rudely, then turned, abruptly walking away.

"I'm sorry." V sighed, finally coming around the corner. "She's hit the age where she thinks she's in charge. Six going on sixteen." she gestured for them to come in the kitchen so the children couldn't listen in.

"No worries." Soul laughed. "Raven just... doesn't really say much. I don't know why he's like that." she worriedly glanced at the boy. "He's always been very quiet and withdrawn. When I put him with other children, he just plays with them as if he feels obliged to do so, rather than because he wants to."

"If the boy likes being alone, then I say leave him be." Silver responded. He lowered his voice to a whisper, so Raven couldn't hear. "He's just quiet. Let him draw and write and whatever else he wants to do."

"I'm just worried." Soul murmured. "The insomnia isn't helping. He stays up till two doing something in his notebook or playing games or something. I'll wake up in the middle of the night and see him just wandering around sometimes." Soul sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know what to do. I at least want him to be sleeping at night." she glanced at Silver, who really didn't say much since the two women began talking. "I honestly was a bit surprised that you managed to get him to sleep before eight. How did you-?"

" _MOOOOOOOOM!"_ the shrill shriek from Aini echoed throughout the house. There was the profound thumps of little feet stomping down stairs. Then the little six-year-old stormed in, ponytail swinging with each stomp, glaring up at her mother. "Raven was going through my stuff in my room! He threw things everywhere and pulled all my books off my shelf!"

"Uncle Silvy!" Iri rushed in, holding up his phanphy plush teary-eyed. "Raven came in my room and threw Phan and now he has a boo-boo!"

"Give that back!" they suddenly heard Celina shout. "That's my Dad's- Hey!"

Calm footsteps came down stairs followed by frantic one's, then Raven walked into the room with a large book under his arm. Celina followed after him, looking unsure what to do. Raven crossed the kitchen to V and held up the book.

"Finish." he demanded. V blinked, looking at the book.

"The fairy tale?" V asked. Raven nodded.

"Raven." the still hooded boy glanced at his father. "You don't go through other people's things and mess up their rooms without permission. Apologize to Celina, Aini, and Iri."

Raven huffed, then turned to the three children.

"Sorry I went through your rooms without permission." he said quite politely and expertly, as if he knew what the words meant and wasn't just repeating what Silver was saying.

"How do you ask to finish the story?" Silver responded. Raven turned back to V.

"Can you please finish the story about Mom and Dad?" he asked. V smiled.

"Well, since you asked so nicely-"

"Wait!" Iri suddenly exclaimed. The youngest boy walked up to Raven, holding up Phan.

"Phan still doesn't forgive you 'cause you never said sorry." Iri explained. "Give Phan a kiss and he'll forgive you." he stated simply. Raven blinked, then turned his attention to Soul and Silver, as if asking them if they understood the stupidity behind the request.

"If you want the story, Raven," Soul laughed. "Everyone has to forgive you. I mean, just imagine if someone threw Roar across the room."

Raven seemed embarrassed at the mention of his Todadial toy.

"Fine." he huffed, leaning down and pecking the plush on the trunk. At that very moment, a flash went off in the room. Raven snapped his attention to his mother, who was laughing, but trying to hide it behind her hand, along with the phone behind her back.

"Mom!" Raven cried as his father turned away, trying to hide his shaking shoulders. "Dad! It's not funny!" he turned to V. "You promised!" then he stomped out of the room with a satisfied Iri, a triumphant Aini, and a giggling Celina.

"Maybe he's just shy, rather than withdrawn." V said once their laughter died down.

o.0.o.0.o

 _A Lock of Trouble, Part Four_

Silver woke with something heavy pressing onto his chest. Annoyed, he blinked his eyes open, only to be met with the furious glare of Gold. His hair was an unruly mess, his clothes ripped, and cuts littered his body. He pinning him down with one foot.

"Drowned." he hissed. "We nearly got _drowned."_

"And you're blaming me?" Silver responded. "Sorry, Carl and Will knocked down the post and broke the dam. If it makes you feel better, we almost drowned too." he glanced around. "Where's your boss?"

"Gold?!"

"Hey, Crys!" Gold shouted over his shoulder as Crystal came through the bushes. "I found-"

" _MARA!"_ a shrill cry rang out. Silver smirked, shoving Gold off as the electric cotton ball electrocuted the both of them.

o.0.o.0.o

"I told you not to run ahead. But do you listen? Noooo."

"Well, he nearly killed us! I thought you wanted to find him!"

"Do you ever listen?"

"Yes!"

"No! No you do not! This is how we get into these situations!"

"Hey, you're the one deadset on catching him!"

"I want to arrest him for his crimes!"

"Well, we wouldn't be stuck like this if you listened to me when I said give up!"

"We wouldn't be dangling from a tree branch if you listened when I said don't run ahead!"

"How long has this been going on for?" Silver asked, finally coming back with some breakfast, only to see Crystal and Gold still bound back to back with Soul's hair, dangling from a tree branch and arguing.

"Since they woke up." Soul responded.

"And that was...?"

"Shortly after you left."

"Young lady!" Crystal suddenly exclaimed. "Let us go! The man you are with is very dangerous!"

"I don't think so!" Soul chirped back. "Silver's nice!"

"Ha! Like all criminals, right?" Gold shot back. Soul sighed.

"Listen, you two. Today is very important to me. Like..." she held out her arms wide. " _This_ important! So I need you," she patted Silver on the shoulder. "To not arrest him, okay?"

"No!" Crystal shot back. "He must be arrested for his wrongdoing's against the kingdom!"

"Just for twenty-four hours!" Soul exclaimed, slowly lowering the two to the ground. Silver watched with hidden humor as they shook themselves free of her hair, though all three were contemplating the offer. Honestly, Soul didn't want to give up Silver after twenty-four hours, but she needed to find some way to appease these two so the best day ever could commence onwards without a hitch. "Then you guys can chase each other to your hearts content, okay?"

Silver kept his steady glare on the two as Soul dragged him forward.

"Pinky promise. Please?"

Silver ignored this for a moment, then sighed under Soul's pleading gaze, and held up his hand for a handshake. Crystal, seemingly the one in charge, didn't make a move.

"It would be against knightly code to make a deal with and help a convict." Crystal stated, turning her gaze away.

"Just for today." Soul pleaded, grabbing her hand. Crystal wrenched it back with a cold glare. "And it's... also my birthday." she continued. "Just so you know."

"Oh, come on, Crys." Gold suddenly said, placing his hands on Soul's shoulders. "It's her _birthday."_ Soul nodded enthusiastically. "And when was the last time you had a break, anyways? Give the guards the day off for the festival, and we'll enjoy it too."

Crystal contemplated this for a moment.

"You are not allowed to leave our sight." Crystal said, snapping her gaze to Silver. "And once this day is done, then you will be taken into custody by Gold and I, understood?"

Silver nodded and Soul smiled, practically squealing as the two shook hands.

o.0.o.0.o

Silver watched humorously as Soul squealed upon coming to the bridge to the kingdom.

"Arkee and I are going to send word to the guards." Crystal said, climbing onto her pokémon. "Gold, don't let him out of your sight. I'll meet back with you at the first fountain near the gates."

Gold saluted as the two sped off. Silver glanced to the side, and saw another horribly drawn wanted poster. He ripped it down and, in a fury, balled it up. When he turned back to Gold, he was smirking at him.

"Why would you take it down?" he teased. "You look like twins!"

Silver promptly shoved the ball of paper into the sketch artists mouth. Gold spat it out, allowing the spit-filled article to plaster to Silver's face. He howled with laughter as Silver peeled the disgusting thing from his face. Wiping away the excess saliva, Silver promptly punched Gold in the face. Gold hit back, and thus started the shoving match.

There was a sudden and loud whistle, and both men paused, Silver with Gold in a headlock, Gold's teeth digging into his wrist and Silver about to punch him in the face.

The both looked up, and saw Mara, resting comfortably on Soul's head, glaring at them. Both knowing what it was like to be shocked by the mareep, released each other. They glared at Mara, though when the pokémon turned her back, Gold elbowed him. Silver punched him in the face.

When he turned his attention back to Soul, she was at the gates, trying to take in everything at once. There were garlands of flowers hung across buildings, banners here and there, shop owners in stands trying to sell travelers items, and people everywhere, bustling and happy and excited and full of life.

A cart suddenly rolled by. Soul seemed startled by it's seemingly sudden appearance, stumbled back and bumped into a lady holding a crate.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed, only to bump into another person, then another, and another. Just as she managed to get out of the line of traffic, something yanked on her hair, causing her to jerk back. She looked over her shoulder, seeing people mercilessly walking over and stepping on the light brown locks.

Silver jogged up to her, gathering her hair in his arms in an attempt to keep it from being trampled over. Gold trailed behind him, holding the ends.

"I can fix this easy." Gold said, nodding towards a vendor selling swords and other sharp items. "Just cut it."

"No!" Silver and Soul exclaimed at the same time. Gold raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, then..." Gold trailed off. He looked around curiously, then smiling as he spotted a small group of girls sitting on the fountain. With a grin, he whistled loudly, catching their attention. He led Silver and Soul to them. "What do you say?"

The girls gasped in surprise and awe, then leapt at the chance to play with with hair. The girls pushed the two men aside, taking it upon themselves to spread out the hair. Forcing Soul to sit, they began to make a game of pulling the hair into a long braid while Sneasel and Mara stood protectively next to her. Out of respect for the girls game, the townsfolk began to walk around them.

Silver, on the other hand, leaned against the wall with Gold next to him, keeping a protective eye on the girl as she laughed along with the children. He widened his eyes as some uniformed guards walked by, but hardly seemed to notice him. In fact, they seemed rather excited to get the armor off.

"Seems the guards are even slacking today." Silver jolted at the female voice, spotting Blue with a mischievous smirk. "Hey, Silver. Am I interrupting your date?"

"It's not a date." Silver glowered, jerking his head to Gold. "I've got an idiot following me."

"Want me to get rid of him?"

"No." Silver was surprised to find his voice mingled with another. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw a taller male with green eyes, spiky light brown hair, and a serious expression on his face. Holding his hand was a happy, bouncing little two-year-old with long, light brown hair a turquoise eyes. On her arm was a basket of brightly colored flowers.

"Oh, you haven't met yet, have you?" Blue grinned. "Green, this is my younger brother, Silver, and Silver, this is my husband, Green."

"Uncle!" the girl suddenly grinned, shaking herself free of her father's arm and latching around his legs, loosing half her flowers in the process. Silver glowered at her as she looked up with a bright grin. "Hi."

"Uncle?" he repeated.

"Turquoise," Blue said, nodding to Soul and the girls, now nearly finished braiding her hair. "You wanted to play too, right?"

"Oh, yeah!" Turquoise bounded over to the girls, holding out her basket and talking with animated hand gestures. She circled to Soul, explaining her idea. Soul nodded, and the little girl latched her arms around her neck, the group, once again, getting to work, only pausing every once in a while to gather the fallen flowers from around their feet.

"That's your niece." Green crossed his arms. "Turquoise."

"Turquoise." Silver repeated.

"Her idea for a name, not mine." Green said, jerking his head towards Blue.

"It's a nice name!" Blue responded. "Regardless, it's nice to see you out and about, Silver. Finally outrun Mask."

"Not entirely." Silver responded. "But close enough."

"Oh, wow!" Silver brought his gaze back up to Soul. Her hair was not braided into a thick braid that reached her ankles, off the ground, with flowers tucked all around the braid. "Thank you!" she grinned, kneeling down and patting Turquoise on the head.

Silver wasn't entirely sure how the girls managed to get all her hair into a single braid, but he found himself smiling nonetheless.

A sudden elbow in his ribcage all but shattered the moment.

He glared at the offending person with the elbow, only to see Blue innocently whistling, though there was still a smirk on her face. He turned his attention to Gold, who smiled a smile he was not at all please with.

"Stop that." Silver said accusingly towards him. "You're creeping me out."

"Better pop the question." Gold said with a shrug. "Someone else might."

Silver narrowed his eyes.

"First off, I only knew her for a day. Secondly," his voice dropped to a menacing level. "What are you implying?"

"Now, now, hold onto your britches, cherry." Gold said. "I've got my sights set on another gal. I'm saying keep an eye on yours."

"I see you've actually followed instructions." Silver blinked as Crystal approached them. He almost didn't recognize her without her armor. Arkee stood faithfully next to her, though seemed more relaxed without his owners intense aura surrounding her.

"What can I say?" Gold responded. "I just can't resist a request from a lady."

"Silver!" Soul bounded up to them with Turquoise on her hip. "She says she's your niece! Is that true?!"

"I guess..." Silver responded.

"That's so cute!" she grinned. "Uncle Silvy!"

"Don't call me that." Silver hissed.

"Uncle Silvy! Uncle Silvy! Uncle Silvy!" Turquoise chanted with a smile.

"Silver." he corrected. " _Silver."_

"Turquoise is in that 'repeating' stage." Blue said as Turquoise repeated the name seven more times. "Seems like you're stuck with Silvy."

o.0.o.0.o

Somehow, Soul ended up dragging their misfit group around to everything. Silver wasn't entirely sure how, but he found his attention being torn between his niece, his companion, and the ever demanding Crystal, ordering Gold about to make sure he didn't run off. The third was quickly taken care of, however, when Gold shoved some cake into Crystal's mouth and told her to 'sweeten up'.

Silver finally caught up with Soul when he found her staring at a tile portrait of the king and queen, the queen holding an infant child with long brown hair and light brown eyes.

"What is it?" Soul asked, staring at the portrait as she gripped Turquoise's hand. Silver glanced at it.

"That's a portrait of the current royal family." Silver responded.

"Why are they leaving flowers?" Soul asked, glancing at the people leaving flowers, some with their heads bowed in prayer. "Did one of them die?"

"It's for the princess." Silver responded. "The princess disappeared a few days after she was born. They're praying for her safety."

He noticed Soul gripping Turquoise's hand tighter.

"That's so sad." she murmured.

"Do you want to leave something?" he offered. Soul seemed to perk up at this, turning to him with a grin.

"Can we?!"

"If you want to." Silver shrugged. Soul nodded vigorously. Silver glanced at the multiple stands around them. "I'll be right back."

"Okay!" Soul chirped, gaze transfixed on the portrait. It took Silver a little while, but he managed to get a nice sized garland of flowers. When he turned back to the portrait, he saw Soul and Turquoise gone.

"Soul?" he asked, quickly leaving the small garland on the steps in front of the portrait and scanning the crowd for her. "Soul?!"

Familiar giggling floated through the air, along with cheerful music. He turned, and saw Soul twirling Turquoise in a circle to the beat of a small band. Around them, he spotted Green and Blue.

"Found you!" Silver snapped his gaze to Crystal, who was panting. "Thought... you'd loose me in the-" her lecture was cut off as Soul suddenly tugged her into the ring of dancing. Silver blinked in surprise, seeing that she was pulling random commoners into the small square, all of them happily dancing to the tune the band was playing.

A crowd was beginning to form, people clapping along to the beat as Soul convinced more people into the circle with Soul leading the dance. She spun, gesturing towards him to join, but he politely decline. What would be more noticeable then a redheaded thief dancing in the town square?

Suddenly, he was shoved into the circle. Just as another girl grabbed onto his arm, he managed to shoot a glare to Blue, who waved at him with a teasing smile on her face, Turquoise happily spinning in front of her, and Green walking back to her side. Was he the one who shoved him into the circle?

Oddly enough, Silver found himself getting into the dancing, actually knowing the steps from all the times watching the silly dances from the sidelines. At a certain beat, they would switch partners if they wanted too, and Silver had his gaze set on Soul. Every time he seemed to get close enough to brush her fingers, though, someone else would tug him or her away, thus separating them again.

Quickly, the dancing was going from fun to frustrating. This giggling village girls were getting on his nerves and all he wanted to do was dance with the girl he brought to this festival!

Another switch, and he found himself dancing with Crystal.

Well, if this isn't awkward, he wasn't sure what was. He all but avoided eye contact, saying nary a word to the woman, who seemed focused on something else entirely.

"Switch." she suddenly muttered. Silver blinked as she separated and, due to her prediction, other people began to switch. He was suddenly spinning another girl around, seeing Crystal was with Gold. Gold glanced at him and mouthed 'you're welcome'.

Unsure what he was implying, and knowing of the sketch artists reputation, Silver dared to cast a glance to his partner.

And was surprised to see Soul happily grinning back up at him.

"Finally, huh, Silver?" she grinned. Silver blinked. So she was seeking him out too.

Needless to say, he spent the next three songs dancing with Soul.

o.0.o.0.o

Blue didn't care how much Silver denied it. He and Soul were totally on a date.

After they had danced for a significant amount of time, Blue pretty much stalked them. She watched her and Silver draw a magnificent lily in the middle of the square with the other children, enjoy cupcakes together, play multiple games, and he even bought her a gift. A small gift, true, just a tiny banner with the kingdoms symbol on it, but a gift nonetheless.

And he better not think that she didn't miss him leaning in closer, his chin practically on top her head as she held it up to compare it to the tiny triangles above them.

It was totally a date and they totally looked like a couple.

"Come on, Blue." Green said, holding onto a pouting Turquoise. "They're calling us to the boats."

"I wanna go with Uncle Silvy and Aunt Soul!" Turquoise pouted. Blue grinned. Even her daughter accepted them as a couple.

"Let's leave them alone, now." Blue said. "They want some alone time."

"Boo." she responded. Blue looked over her shoulder at Gold, who was supporting a giggling Crystal. She raised an eyebrow. When she told Gold to get Crystal drunk, she hadn't actually expected him to go through with it. He caught her glance and shrugged, then held up two fingers. Only two glasses? Crystal must be a lightweight.

Or he could be meaning twenty, thus her wobbly state now.

Crap. She didn't want to be the one to face lead guards wrath should anything happen. But then again, she was confident Gold would keep an eye on her.

"Blue, come _on."_ Green insisted.

"Alright, alright." she said, trying to spot Soul and Silver, then smiled.

Silver was already paddling them out to the middle of the lake.

o.0.o.0.o

If Silver hadn't already scolded her three times, Soul was pretty sure they'd have been tipped over from her jumpy excitement. Sneasel and Mara were happily sitting off to the side, getting along tremendously, the latter having seemingly warmed up to her redheaded companion.

A sudden drop of fear suddenly fell into her stomach. What would happen after this? She had been dreaming for years to see these lights up close. What if it wasn't all that it was cracked up to be? And what if it was? She knew she'd have to go home after this, but what if...

What if she never got to see Silver ever again?

"You alright?" Silver suddenly asked. Soul blinked, looking down.

"I don't know." she shrugged. "I don't know if I'm more scared for this dream to come true or for what's going to happen after it does."

Silver was silent for a moment.

"I'm not all good with this 'dream' business," Silver responded, folding his hands. "But I suppose you always a new dream."

 _Marry Silver._

The thought popped into her head out of no where, and the more Soul thought about it, the more fun it sounded. She never really thought about getting married, what with her mind consumed by the lanterns, but the idea of marrying the redhead sitting next to her sounded more and more appealing with every passing minute. Then she began thinking about their children. What would they look like? What gender would they be? She could totally see a red-headed boy running rampant through their little house, where she would sell her healing abilities. Silver would never have to struggle or steal ever again. They would have fabulous get togethers with Blue and her family at the pub she owned, with all the thieves that came that day, and maybe even Gold and Crystal.

What would they name their little boy? Maybe after a color, like Turquoise? Or maybe after an item or color they first saw, like how Silver adopted his name. Probably a unisex name, in case it was a girl instead of a boy. Maybe something dark and serious, so Silver would agree with it. She was fairly certain he wouldn't want to have a kid named 'Magenta'.

"Raven." she murmured, glancing at the sky. Yes, raven. A black that glints blue or purple, given the light.

That sounded nice.

"Pardon?"

She jerked her head to Silver, face suddenly a furious scarlet. Hopefully, he couldn't see it in the darkness.

"Nothing!" she grinned, waving her hands in front of her. "Just talking to myself!"

Silver rolled his eyes with a smirk, turning his attention back to the castle. Soul focused on his profile for a moment. Yes, she decided. Their son would totally look like him, red hair and all, if not for his eyes. She could see him running around with light brown eyes.

Suddenly, his hand reached out, grasping hers. She blinked, glancing at him and hoping that he couldn't hear her heart pounding. His glaze flicked to hers, and then, with a small smile, he pointed. Slowly, she turned her gaze, and gasped.

A single lantern was floating in the air, and on the ground below it, the streets were lighting up with lanterns.

She ripped her hand free from his, nearly sending Silver and their pokémon toppling as she went to the front of the boat, gaze transfixed on the tiny lantern.

Suddenly, thousands of other lanterns lifted into the sky, illuminating it like stars, following their leader.

"Hey, Soul." she blinked, looking over her shoulder. Silver was sitting behind her, holding two glowing lanterns. "Happy birthday."

Soul beamed so brightly, she was sure her smile rivaled the sun. She sat back down across from him.

"I have something for you too." she smiled, reaching down beside her. Hopefully, if Blue followed her instructions...

Her and brushed leather and she grinned, yanking up the satchel.

"I was thinking about giving it to you sooner, but... I didn't want you to abandon me." she cast her glance down. "If you wanna leave after this, you can. I'm sure I can find my..." she trailed off, looking down. Suddenly, she felt the bag being pushed down, in between them. She glanced up, looking at the stern face Silver had.

"Soul, I'm going to ask again." he said. "Do you want to go back to that tower?"

The whimsical idea of getting married to Silver popped into her mind. Then with a bright grin and happy tears, she took the lantern in his left hand.

"No!" she exclaimed as the both released the lanterns into the air. She grabbed at his hands, grinning. "Lets run away and live in the city together, away from my mother and away from Mask and Carl and Will! We can sell my healing powers and you won't have to struggle ever again! Okay?"

He cupped her face, gently wiping away the tears.

"Are you sure?" he said teasingly. "There might be some rabid buneary's."

"I'm sure!" she grinned. When she glanced back at him, his hands had dropped from her face and he adopted his serious expression again. He was staring at something behind her. "Silver?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder, and seeing nothing. "Is everything okay?"

"It's fine." he said, glancing at the satchel. "I just have something I need to take care of real quick, okay?"

o.0.o.0.o

Silver paddled the boat to shore. He was sure, absolutely positive, that he had seen Will and Carl at the shore holding a lantern, staring specifically at him. Though he hardly liked the two, he had made up his mind.

He wanted to live out his days with Soul, and in order to do that, he had to tie up the loose end he had with these two. Once they were gone, hoped Mask would be out of his life forever, and he could continue on with his life.

"Wait here." he said. Sneasel tried to climb out after him, but he held up his hand. "You too." He wanted extra protection in case something happened and they went after Soul. He climbed out of the boat, dragging it to shore, then going around and grabbing the satchel.

"Silver?" Soul asked worriedly, clutching Mara to her chest.

"I'm sorry, everything if fine." he said, cupping her face with one hand. "There's something I need to take care of, then we can go back to the city."

Soul beamed.

"Okay, Silver!"

"I'll be right back." he responded, turning and going in the direction Will and Carl went. It was a short walk, but he came upon the two. Carl was sitting on a rock, glaring out at the water, a sailboat docked close to him.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Silver?" Will snickered. Silver kept his glare steady.

"Here." he said, tossing the satchel to the two, the hood unhooking and the crown tumbling out. "I don't need it anymore. Sell it. Wear it. I don't really care. I'm through with you and Mask." he turned to make his departure, only to be faced with a snarling Houndoom. Silver took a step back.

"Holding out on us again?" Carl asked, coming down from his perch as Will came up to them.

"What?" Silver growled out, turning to look at them with a ferocious glare.

"We heard you found something. Something much more valuable than a crown." as if to prove his point, Carl kicked the item over as he got closer. "We want her instead."

It took mere milliseconds for Silver to figure out what he was implying.

"No." he shook his head, getting into a fighting stance. "I won't let you touch her!"

"What was it you said earlier?" Will pondered. "'All for one and two for me'?"

"You leave her out of-!"

"Xatu, Hypnosis!"

o.0.o.0.o

Soul stood by the boat, eyes trained on the direction Silver went.

Suddenly, a figure appeared. She beamed.

"Thank goodness." she sighed, rubbing Mara behind her ears. "I was staring to think you ran off with the crown and left me."

Suddenly, Sneasel started growling. Soul blinked, looking at her, then watching as the single figure split into two. She widened her eyes, heart pounding as the two approached her.

"Bad news, sweetcheeks." the whimsically dressed one said. "He did."

"N-No..." Soul murmured, the idea of living in the cottage with little Raven, together, as a family, faltering. "He wouldn't!"

"See for yourself." the taller one held up his hand, pointing towards the shore. Soul slowly walked towards the shore, water lapping at her toes. Squinting, she could faintly make out Silver's silhouette steering a boat to shore.

"Silver!" she called out, voice on the verge of hysterics as the idea faltered again. " _SILVER!"_

"Fair enough trade." Carl said again, running his hand along her braid. "A crown for the girl with the magic hair."

She whipped around, eyes wide with terror. Silver wouldn't tell them. Silver wouldn't tell anyone. Silver... She... She loved...

"How much to you think someone would pay to remain young and healthy forever?" Carl mused.

"No..." she shook her head, clutching Mara and Sneasel to her chest. "Please, no...!"

In response, Carl stood at his full height, holding open a sack.

"Be a dear and get in the sack." Will grinned.

"No!" Soul screamed, turning around and bolting with tears streaming down her face. She didn't make it very far, however, as her hair got caught in a log. She began tugging at it in a panic, only to hear the cries of alarm and pain from Carl and Will.

"Soul?!"

"M-Mama...?" she trailed off, going around the corner and peeking around, only to see her mother standing there with a tree branch in one hand, panting, Carl and Will unconscious on the ground.

"Oh!" her mother folded her hands together, dropping the branch. "My precious girl!"

"M-Mama..." she trailed off, running into her arms.

"I followed you." Mckenzie explained. "I followed you because I felt guilty and I was so worried and I saw them attack you and... and... oh, my dear girl are you okay?" Soul felt herself tearing up.

"Mama... Silver... He and I... I thought..."

"Lets go." she said. "Lets go before they come to." she ran away into the forest, though Soul kept her focus on the boat Silver was in, as if hoping he would miraculously come to and turn the boat around to stop her.

No such thing happened.

Slowly, she turned back to her mother, who had a sad look on her face, as if sad for her. She held out her arms for an embrace.

Then she burst into tears, running to her mother's arms.

"You were right, Mama." she wailed. "You were right about everything."

And like that, the image of a little boy with red hair and light brown eyes shattered and floated away, much like the lanterns Soul so wanted to see.

o.0.o.0.o

Silver woke as he felt the world suddenly jerk. What...? Had he... been knocked out?

"Soul?" he snapped his gaze up as guards suddenly jumped onto the boat, ripping the ropes from him and dragging him to shore. "Soul! No! Wait! Soul! _SOUL!"_

Unbeknownst to him, four adults were watching him. A married couple, their little girl asleep in the mans arms, and a slightly hungover woman being supported by a man with black hair and gold eyes. Needless to say, their illnesses from seasickness, alcohol, over indulgence in food and what have you all vanished, replaced by a new feeling.

Fear.

Not just for that of the thief, but that of the girl that was was with them.

Slowly, the leader of the guards shared a glance with the former thief. Both women nodded, knowing exactly what they needed to do.

o.0.o.0.o

Soul stared at her lap as her mother plucked the last flower from her hair.

"There, like it never even happened." she said, throwing the flower into a basket with the others. "Now, wash up for dinner," she walked to the door, smiling. "I'm making pecha berry cake."

Soul knew her mother was frowning at her lack of cheering up at the sound of her favorite desert. But Soul didn't feel like eating. Every morsel of food that went in her mouth tasted vinegary and disgusting, making her even sicker and sadder than before. Everything she looked at reminded her of Silver, of the time they spent together, of the future she briefly dreamed of together. Mama wanted to snap her fingers and forget but Soul... Soul knew she's never forget.

"Oh, Soul." her mother said in the doorway. "I tried to warn you what was out there." she scowled at the floor. "The world is dark and selfish and cruel. If it finds even the slightest ray of sunshine... _It destroys it_."

Soul ignored her mother, just staring at her folded hands as her mother shut the door behind her. Slowly, Soul unclasped her hands, staring at the small banner Silver had gotten her. She heard Mareep squeak, climbing onto her lap in a form of comfort. Sneasel came out too, but Soul turned away from her. She didn't want to be reminded of Silver, of the heartbreak.

She stared up at the murals above her, of a baby in a cradle, surrounded by stars and such.

Suddenly, her eyes caught something.

The outline of a lily.

She blinked, holding up the small banner, seeing it again.

Soul stared, wide-eyed, suddenly spotting lilies across her bedroom, covering her ceiling, all in outlines.

"A... A cradle?" she wondered suddenly having a fuzzy outline of a cradle plaguing her mind. Suddenly, two faces flashed in her mind, reminding her of the king and queen in the portrait.

She let out a startled yelp, suddenly flashing back to the moment she placed the crown on her head, the familiarity of it. A man, placing the crown on the very crest of her bangs when she was young. To young. She... She was...!

"Soul?" she heard her mother call worriedly, no doubt from the crash. She heard footsteps, but all she could do was breath heavily, trying to remember. What was it? What was going on? "Soul, what's going on up there? Are you alright?"

Slowly, she opened her door, leaning against the doorframe.

"I'm the lost princess." she murmured.

"Oh, please speak up, Soul, you know I hate mumbling."

"I'm the lost princess." she said louder, standing up straight and turning towards her mother. Mckenzie widened her eyes. The surprised look on her face was all the confirmation Soul needed. Suddenly, she was filled with an amount of rage and hate that she had never felt before. Who was the woman standing before her then, if not her mother? "Did I mumble, Mama? Or should I even call you that?"

o.0.o.0.o

Silver paced back and forth in his cell, unsure what to do. He gripped the bars on his window, glaring to the outside world, suddenly wishing for a miracle.

He heard the loud clank of a lock, and turned, seeing Crystal in the doorway with two guards, both with their heads bowed.

"Let's get this over with." the woman said. Silver scowled at her. He knew this was coming, but he was still disgusted with the fact that this woman, whom he had celebrated a festival with yesterday, even danced with momentarily, still wanted to hang him. She avoided his gaze, so he assumed that was out of guilt.

But her guilt meant nothing to him if it meant she wouldn't release him to reunite with Soul.

So he kept his steady glare on her as the guards shackled him up, leading him into the hallway. He wanted to look her in the eye, to let her know just how much he hated her.

For the briefest of moments, he averted his gaze, catching sight of Will and Carl.

Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes, ramming his shoulder into the one guard and kicking the other. Jumping up and bringing his arms in front of him, he reached through the bars and grabbed Carl by his shirt.

"How did you know about her?!" he roared, voice echoing across the stone hallways as he yanked him so hard against the bars he was sure that would knock him out. "How did you know about Soul?!"

"It wasn't us, I swear!" Carl exclaimed, suddenly sounding very afraid. Good, Silver thought. He should be.

"Then who was it?!" Silver demanded, slamming him into the bars again.

"It was the old lady!"

"Old lady?" he murmured. Soul's... Soul's mother? He let out a roar as the guards pinned him again, pulling him up. "Let me go! She's in danger!" he knew he sounded like a madman, but he didn't care. "Crystal! Please! You know who I'm talking about! There's tower, Soul is there! She's in trouble! You have to find her!" He knew he resorted to begging, but he didn't care. Someone needed to find her. Someone needed to keep her safe. " _Please!_ Crystal! Please send some guards to her! Please!"

"Keep moving, men." Crystal responded, acting oblivious. Silver clenched his fists.

"Soul!"

o.0.o.0.o

"It was you!" Soul exclaimed. "It was all you! You set up Will and Carl! And... And you set up Silver!"

Soul watched as Mckenzie narrowed her eyes.

"Everything I ever did for you, Soul, was to protect you."

In a rage, Soul shoved her out of the way, going down the stairs with Mara and Sneasel by her side.

"I can't believe this. I can't believe I spent my entire life hiding from people who would abuse me for my powers-"

"Soul!" her mother shouted at her.

"When I should have been hiding from you!"

"Where will you go?" Mckenzie spat back. "He won't be there for you."

Soul put on her fiercest glare.

"What did you do to him?"

"That criminal," Mckenzie spat the word out. "Will be hung for his crimes."

Soul felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. Here, her dreams were quickly reforming, only to be crushed again.

"No." she whispered, trying to stay calm. Trying not to panic. "Silver...!"

"Now, now, dear." she said, raising her hand to pat her head. "Everything is as it should be."

"No!" Soul shoved her back. Mckenzie stared up at her surprised.

"Why, you-!" Mckenzie raised her hand, but Soul grasped her wrist before she could strike her.

"You won't ever hit me again." Soul glared. "You were _wrong_ about the world. And you were wrong about Silver. And you were wrong about _me!"_ suddenly, Mckenzie was jerking back, trying to get her wrist back. "And I will _never_ let you use my hair again!"

Suddenly, Mckenzie stumbled back, wrist free, only to fall into the mirror and send it crashing to the ground. She stared at the broken shards before she stared back at the determined look on Soul's face. The girl suddenly turned away, walking towards the secret trap door.

"You want me to be the bad guy?" Soul heard Mckenzie murmur. "Fine. Now I'm the bad guy."

o.0.o.0.o

Silver was still trying to plead his case to the guards, trying to get Crystal to send someone to Soul's tower, when suddenly, all the doors slammed closed with the two guards, plus Crystal, in the room with them.

The panel suddenly opened up.

"What's the password?" a familiar voice asked.

"What?" one of the guards exclaimed.

"Nope."

The panel shut.

"Open this door!"

The panel opened.

"Not even _close~!"_

"You have three seconds!" the guard said. Silver glanced at Crystal, who was smirking, the two guards also smirking. "One! Two!"

 _BONG._

Silver blinked as Topaz dropped from above, slamming a frying pan across the guards head. He fell unconscious with a silly, cross-eyed look on his face.

"Hot *bleep*!" Topaz grinned. "I'm keepin' this as a personal weapon!"

"Topaz." Silver nodded to the other two.

"No need." Crystal said. The two guards released him, pulling off their helmets, revealing Diamond and Pearl.

"Surprise! We're breaking you out!" Diamond grinned. There was suddenly a loud crashing noise, and suddenly, more guards were rushing into the room. Crystal dragged him down the hall as Blue and Green burst through the door, staying with Diamond and Pearl to fight the oncoming guards.

Momentarily, Silver wondered where everyone else was.

o.0.o.0.o

Back at the pub, Emerald was annoyingly letting Turquoise design odd shapes into his hair with his hair gel, wondering why he was always stuck babysitting other people's kids.

o.0.o.0.o

Silver rushed out into the courtyard, seeing that the rest of the thieves were already fighting off guards. Jade rushed up to him, working on the shackles. Within a few seconds, they clattered to the ground. Onyx suddenly shoved him back.

"Head down." he instructed. Silver mimicked him, slightly confused. "Arms in. Knees apart."

"Knees apart? Why would I-"

Black suddenly whistled, and a huge Braviary swooped down, clenching Silver's shoulders in his claws and picking him up. Silver exhaled in surprised, then gasped as he was falling. Surprisingly, he landed rather unharmed on top of a honchcrow. He blinked, glancing down at Gold.

"Gold?" he asked, staring at the man. He saluted.

"Yo."

"You brought them here." he said.

"Well, with the help of Blue, Green, and Crystal, yeah. We put this whole thing together."

"Why?"

"Well..." Gold shrugged. "I don't know what's goin' on with you and Soul, but I heard you when they nabbed ya last night. You really do care, don't you?"

Silver simply nodded.

"Then we both know what it's like." Gold grinned. "I know we started off on the wrong foot, but I figured we better let you reunite with your girl, okay?"

"Is that really why you let me escape?" Silver asked, not quite believing it. Gold blinked, the mumbled something about free drinks on Blue.

"Anyways!" Gold clapped his hands. "This is our fastest bird. He'll help you find Soul in no time, promise."

Silver nodded, nudging the birds sides as guards with crossbows came through the door, shooting at them. Expertly, the pokémon dodged. Down below, Silver saw Gold fighting the guards with Sapphire, Ruby, Red, and Yellow as backup. Everyone else was fighting the guards in the courtyard.

"Alright then, Honchcrow." Silver murmured, gripping his feathers. "Lets see how fast you can really go."

o.0.o.0.o

Silver wasn't entirely sure how fast they were going, but he assumed pretty fast. Silver didn't even bother to get Soul to let down her hair, he simply dove straight through the window, causing it to splinter and shatter under his weight.

He landed, groaning at his impulsive decision.

"Soul?" he asked, standing up. "You don't even know how scared I was. I thought I'd never-" he cut himself off as he glanced up widening his eyes upon seeing a chained and gagged Soul, screaming his name through the gag. "Soul!" he exclaimed, glancing around and seeing a shaking pot, assuming Mara and Sneasel were trapped inside.

He prepared to make a run across the room to rescue Soul, only to feel a piercing pain in his side. He winced, falling to his knees and then to the ground as he clutched his side, feeling something wet. He turned on his back, seeing an older woman above him, flicking a knife at him, splattering blood across his face.

His blood, he realized with horror.

"Now look what you've done, Soul." she said spitefully as Soul began to lunge forward, close to either dislocating her arms from their sockets or breaking the bannister to the staircase. She let out another horrified shriek as the woman stepped over him, walking across the room towards Soul. "Oh, don't you worry, dear." she undid the chains from the stairwell. "Our secret will die here, with him. And as for us," she gripped the chains, trying to drag Soul back. "We're going to a place where _no one_ will _ever_ find you again!"

Silver watched through half lidded eyes as Soul continued jerking about, trying to get free.

"Soul, really!" the woman exclaimed, jerking her back and grabbing her shoulder. "Stop it!" Soul elbowed her in the stomach and began kicking at her legs, unwilling to go down the trap door. "Stop fighting me!"

"No!" Soul gasped as the gag fell, throwing herself to the ground and looking up. "I will never stop! I will never stop fighting you, for every minute, second, _moment_ of my life! I will never stop trying to get away from you, Mckenzie!"

Silver groaned, still holding his wound and flipping onto his stomach, trying to crawl forward.

"But if you let me save Silver," Soul said. "You let him live for the freedom he deserves, to see his sister, his little niece again..." she took a deep breath. "I'll go with you."

"No...!" he groaned out, shimmying forward. "Soul...!"

She looked over her shoulder, giving him a sad smile, before glancing back up at Mckenzie.

"I won't ever run, I won't try to escape, tell anyone else about the powers. You won't have to listen about the lanterns, the kingdom, I won't ask for Mara to come, I won't even paint on the walls anymore. Just let me heal him. Then we'll be together, forever!" he voice rose an octave at this, as if trying to sound optimistic. "Just like always. Just like you want."

o.0.o.0.o

Soul woefully rubbed the raw skin around her wrist as the shackles fell. She watched as Mckenzie harshly clamped on around Silver's hand, the other to a wooden post on the railing.

"In case you get any whimsical ideas about following us." she hissed, stepping back.

"Silver!" Soul exclaimed, lunging across the room towards him, cupping his face as he winced, trying to swallowed the blood bubbling up. It didn't work, as it dribbled down his chin anyways. Soul swallowed, pulling is shirt open to get a better look at the wound. She gasped at the grievous stab wound, certainly not used to such a wound and the amount of blood that came with it. "Silver, I am so sorry. This is all my fault. Everything is going to be okay though, I promise." she grabbed at a strand of hair.

"N-No!" Silver grunted out, trying to hold the wound shut and push her hands away.

"I promise, you have to trust me."

"I can't let you do this." Silver said.

"Silver, no-"

"Soul, look at me." Silver hissed, clasping her face in his hands, unintentionally smearing blood across her cheek. "I know... What it's like to be locked away from society. But I had Blue. You... won't have anyone. I don't care about my life. I'm not going to let the same thing happen to you."

"... But I'm not going to let you die." Soul said, bowing her head and holding his hand.

"But you'll... just wither. Break. Die." he turned his head and spat out more blood. "Like a flower."

"It's going to be okay." Soul promised. There was a pause. Silver cracked a small smile, and Soul responded with a beaming grin. Slowly, she draped her hair over his stomach, closed her eyes, and opened her mouth.

"Soul, wait." he gasped, voice sounding strained. Soul opened her eyes as his hand reached up, brushing some hair away from her face. She blinked, a soft smile on her face as his hand made it to her hair, going down past her shoulders.

Then a sudden weight left her shoulders and Silver's hand fell to the ground with a thud, a shard of the broken mirror clattering from his grasp.

"Silver, what...?" Soul exclaimed, feeling for her long hair, only to find it fell just to her shoulder blades.. She saw some golden orbs of light fall from her hair, blinking in surprise.

"No!" Soul whipped around at Mckenzie's exclamation. She was trying to gather up the hair, but already the power was leaving it, showing in bright golden orbs leaving it. "No!" her voice suddenly cracked as her hair grew gray, wrinkles forming on her hands. Soul watched with wide eyes as the woman who was once her mother shrieked as she aged hundreds of years in but a few minutes. "What have you done?! What have you done?!"

Soul stumbled back, bumping into Silver as Mckenzie grabbed for the mirror, only to see her true age and her shrieks intensified.

"No! No, no, no!" she pulled up the hood of her cloak, twisting around awkwardly as she suddenly hunched forward, trying to keep her straight, young posture. Suddenly, she tripped over something, and fell out the open window.

"Mama!" Soul cried out. She couldn't help herself, watching as the woman who essentially raised her fell out the window. Soul hurried to the window, only to see a cloak at the bottom, bits of dust filtering through the air. This only seemed to prove her mother was _extremely_ old, as she must have died of old age, and her body was so old that it turned to dust before it hit the ground.

Soul slowly fell to her knees, turning to see Mara and Sneasel, holding the hair that Mckenzie tripped over.

"Silver." she exclaimed, lunging back towards him and placing his head on his chest. "No. Nonononono. Come on, Silver, open your eyes. Stay with me, Silver, come on." In a last ditch effort, she took his hand and smacked it onto her head.

" _Flower gleam and glow,  
_ _Let your power shine,  
_ _Make the clock reverse,  
_ _Bring back what once was mine...!_ "

She knew her voice was cracking hopelessly throughout the song, and she only stopped when Silver gripped her hair tightly.

"Soul. Soul!"

"What?" she asked, ducking her head down and trying to not cry.

"You... were my new dream. You and Moonlight."

"Moonlight?" Soul asked.

"Our daughter."

Soul let out a weak chuckle.

"You mean Raven."

"Raven?"

"Our son." tears suddenly streamed down her cheeks. "With red hair. And brown eyes."

"Really?" he responded with a dry chuckle. "I was thinking... Brown pigtails. And... a bright smile."

"Silver...!"

He simply sighed, head lolling into her chest. Soul let out a whimper as his hand fell limp.

 _"Heal what has been hurt  
Change the fates' design  
Save what has been lost  
Bring back what once was mine…"_

 _Soul could feel the words coming out in cracks and off key notes, what with her sobs as she mourned her first, and as of now, only love. Silver. Soul and Silver. Silver and Soul._

 _"What once was mine..."_

Gone. He... That was gone...

Her tears dripped down onto his face, and she hardly cared. Suddenly, she felt an odd warmth. She blinked, opening her eyes as golden orbs suddenly surrounded them, looking almost like those which manifested from her hair. They were suddenly dancing around them, like fairies. They suddenly became tendrils, forming the shape of the lily that the kingdom so revered just over where Silver was stabbed.

Just as suddenly as they were there, however, they were gone.

"Silver?" Soul asked after a moment of awe. A small groan.

"Stop being so loud." he muttered. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Silver!" Soul shrieked happily, latching her arms around his neck

"Soul! Arms... to tight... can't... breath!" Silver grunted, sitting up. Soul didn't respond, sitting back and grinning, then pressing her lips to his.

o.0.o.0.o

"Your highness!" King Xavier and Queen Heart blinked, looking up a Crystal and Gold as they stormed into the room. "I know... I know you're probably not happy about what I did previously, but... but remember... When you asked this idiot to do a future sketch of the princess?"

"Of course." Xavier said. "We commission one every year."

"You've gotta see this." Gold said. "If you see what that thief just recovered, you'd understand and forgive us."

The king and queen exchanged a glance, then stood up, following Gold and Crystal. There were hurried footsteps as they approached a door leading to a balcony.

"Study the drawing," Gold said, holding up the sketch of a now adult princess Soul. "And tell me what you see on the other side."

Xavier and Heart exchanged a glance, and the two slowly opened the door, only to see a the notorious Silver and a young lady with light brown hair that went to her shoulder blades. The two turned to them, the girl with a Mareep in her arms and Silver with his Sneasel on his shoulder. Next to him, perched on the roof, was a honchcrow.

Heart was the first to step towards the girl, who took a few steps away from Silver, then smiled bashfully, fiddling with her hair. Behind her, she could tell her husband was glancing back and forth between the sketch, taking in the similarities, but she was focused on the eyes. Bright, light brown eyes, smiling happily and full of life, despite her initial shyness.

"Um, hi." she said. "Well, um. I'm... Soul, and... I think I... might be your daughter?" a pause. "Mama?" Heart suddenly crossed the room and yanked her into a hug.

"The resemblance is uncanny." murmured Xavier as he stepped forward. Soul looked up at him with big innocent eyes.

"Papa?" she asked. And with that, the king broke, wrapping Soul in a hug from behind, a big family group hug. Silver watched from the sidelines as Mara popped her head up between the arms. The queen opened her eyes, extending a hand to him, as if for a handshake. Silver grasped her hand, only to be yanked into the hug, Sneasel suddenly pressed uncomfortably against his shoulder as he was wedged between King Xavier and Soul.

A moment of silence.

Ah, what the heck.

o.0.o.0.o

"After that, there was a celebration that lasted a week!" V described. "And dreams came true all around. Red and his gaggle of merry thieves got jobs all throughout the castle as thanks for their part in the rescue of Silver, and ultimately, the princess. Yellow became a sketch artist to replace Gold, and Platinum became an advisor with Green. Diamond and Pearl became top notch and the most sought our comedians, and Ruby took up designing dresses for every royal event. White was in charge of every theatrical event to be held in the royal theatre, and Topaz became the new weapons tester.

"Red, Sapphire, Emerald, and Black became the best and most respected guards, and Crystal and Gold finally tied the knot, thus becoming a dynamic duo of crime-fighting, in which crime disappeared almost overnight due to Crystals reputation... if not for Gold's horribly embarrassing sketches that ruined reputations in an instant.

"Blue's pub was moved to the city, in which it flourished. She never truly gave up her cons, and Turquoise happily took after her mother in match-making the children in the city. Mara and Sneasel... Well, they never really changed."

She snapped the book shut with a smile.

"The end."

"Silver, look." Soul smiled, glancing at her son, who was slumped down, asleep. Soul crossed the room, shaking V's hand. "That was beautiful. Honestly."

"Heh, thanks." V said.

"To think, I'm researching childhood insomnia, and all I was missing was bedtime stories!" Soul exclaimed, shaking her head. "To think..."

"Sometimes it's the simplest things." Silver responded, lifting the boy up. "Lets get going before he wakes up."

"Mwah?" everyone jolted as a tired yawn echoed out. Silver stiffened as Raven lifted his head, rubbing his eyes sleepily and push his hood down, revealing a head of bright red hair with an odd spike similar to his fathers on his head. Blinking light brown eyes, he glanced around.

No one dared to move as Raven blinked.

"Tired..." he muttered, thumping his head back down and falling asleep.

o.0.o.0.o

 **So, wow. I love Soulsilvershipping.**

 **Anyways, next is Mangaquest! I've decided to go on the whim and write Peter Pan or the Tale of Anastasia for our favorite pervert and super serious gal. They say the best years of your lives are your teenage years, so Gold and Crystal will roughly be sixteen at the time of the story. As for Anastasia, well, it;s kind of a backup plan.**

 **The idea popped in my head a while back, and I thought it'd be a cute and fun challenge. If you have any other story suggestions, please leave a review!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	17. Crystal in Neverland Part 1

"It's been almost two months now."

"Why hasn't Mama been reading us stories?"

"Is she sick? Oh, I hope she's not sick!"

"Of course she's not sick! She's probably just being lazy..."

"Don't call Mama lazy!"

"Yeah! She and Daddy's been working on changing up my room!"

"Don't you dare team up on me, Celina, with Iri! That's my job!"

"You don't like it that she's right."

"Shut it, Iri! You're a traitor!"

"Kids?" V decided to walk into Aini's room before anything got physical between the three. "What's going on?"

"Mama, are you sick?" Celina blurted, suddenly bursting into tears. "Please don't be sick!"

V blinked, then kneeled down, brushing away the tears before this snowballed into Iri and eventually Aini crying. She knew that once the younger two saw their big sister break down, it was a matter of seconds before they did as well.

"I'm not sick, I promise." V said gently. "So don't be scared, okay?"

"Then why haven't you been reading us stories?" Iri asked, lowering his head. "Me and Nini haven't been fighting with Cece, I promise. Are you mad?"

"I'm not mad. I've just been really tired lately. There's going to be a lot of changes soon, so I might not be able to read to you every night like usual."

"It's been two months." Aini spat. "When're you going to start again?"

"How about tonight?" V suggested, gathering her children around her. "I'm thinking we follow up Soul and Silver with Gold and Crystal. Is that okay?"

"Yeah!" Celina smiled, immediately perking up.

"I don't even care if it's actiony or not!" Iri grinned, latching his arms around V's neck. "I missed the stories!"

"But don't make it sappy." Aini spat. "I hate sappy things."

"You hate everything." V said, grabbing her nose and playfully moving her face back and forth. Aini squeaked, swatting her hand away and covering her nose, her glaring eyes peeking over her hands. "Now then, how about a twist on a classic?"

o.0.o.0.o

 _Crystal in Neverland, Part 1_

 _Once Upon a Pokéball,_ there was a baby boy. He was born with raven black hair, golden eyes and a grin that screamed trouble. While he was in his crib, a certain fairy took interest in him. For you see, every time a baby laughs his or her first laugh, a tiny little fairy gains his or her powers.

This particular fairy wanted to find the child who had granted her powers through his laughter. Knowing nothing but the gender of the child, she searched far and wide for the infant. Eventually, she came across a rather bustling little town called New Bark. She darted to and from window, searching for the crib of the child. The queen had said that she would know which infant was the one she was looking for, though she was having trouble understanding why it was so hard!

Suddenly, she felt an all to familiar pang of joy in her heart. Slowly, she darted back to the window, darting through the open window and glancing around. A soft cooing entered her ears and she grinned, turning and looking into the crib of a golden eyed baby.

He looked at her.

She grinned at him.

He laughed, reaching up chubby hands and trying to grab at her.

Suddenly, pain and pity ripped through her heart. Such a sweet child was stuck in a hellish world. She seen the fights, the horrible people that roamed the streets, the dangers around every corner. Why should a child such as he be forced to live in this world?

...

"That's it!" she whispered, darting out of the window. Pausing, she went back with a smile. "Don't worry little one. I'll be back!"

o.0.o.0.o

It was very late into the night when the small fairy returned. The baby blinked his eyes, staring up at her as she sprinkled the golden dust onto him. There was a moment of silence.

Then the baby was floating.

Rather than seeming afraid, the infant seemed delighted, clapping his hands as he twirled through the air. The fairy held his hand, knowing that him being shaken to much would cause damage.

"Come on, little one," the fairy smiled, suddenly growing into a full sized woman and grabbing his hand. "Theres no need to be scared anymore. We're going to Neverland!"

o.0.o.0.o

"Goodbye, Quartz!"

"I'll always believe in you, Gold!"

Gold floated away a bit sadly as he hid in the shadows, watching as Quartz waved goodbye, then backed into the shadows of her room while he himself floated away, farther and farther from the house.

"You okay, Gold?" the young man turned to his little fairy companion. Soul smiled at him. "It's alright. Quartz wanted to come home. We couldn't stop her. And you have lots of friends back in Neverland."

"I know." Gold scowled, crossing his arms. "I just thought she'd stick around, you know? We don't get random humans coming to Neverland, much less a freaking girl." he flicked the fairy playfully. "How come you and your fairy friends bring me Lost Boys? Why not some Lost Girls?"

"A majority of fairies are female." Soul shrugged. "And Blue's boy crazy, you know that. It's not like we're lacking beautiful lady-creatures in Neverland."

Gold shook his head.

"Still, though." another forlorn look at Quartz's window. "Ugh, never mind." Soul stared onward sadly as Gold drifted around. She noticed how Gold had become particularly close to Quartz, closer then any of the other lost boys that she and her friends had brought to him, and when she chose to go home, it nearly tore him apart.

"This is the place that your friends picked me up from, right?" Gold asked suddenly, turning to her. Soul blinked, recalling her older fairy friends first bringing Gold to Neverland, her being assigned to being his fairy guide through Neverland.

"I... think?" Soul murmured, looking around at the bustling stone buildings. "This is the same country, but I don't think it's this city. It was a smaller town."

"Show me the town." Gold insisted.

"I... I don't know." Soul said, unsure.

"Soul." Gold smirked. "If you don't show me the house, I'll tell Silver about your little crush."

Soul's face flared in embarrassment.

"Don't, you meanie!" she exclaimed, using her tiny fists to bop him on the nose. Gold was hardly fazed, simply brushing the fairy off.

"Show me." Gold grinned, knowing he had the upper hand. Gold was pretty sure that the fairies worked it out to bring a specific Lost Boy for a specific creature in Neverland, especially when it came to Blue. Even though Yellow and Soul were sometimes dragged into it against their will, Gold knew the brunette water fairy was playing matchmaker with the boys and her friends in Neverland.

Soul sighed.

"Fine." she said, shaking her head and fluttering over the rooftops and into the sky. Gold easily followed her, drifting through clouds without a single hassle.

That was the special thing about Gold. When he was brought to Neverland by the fairy whom he had given her powers, he had to sprinkled with the special fairy dust. The only way to Neverland, after all, was to follow the second star to the right and straight on till morning. While temporary with most, Gold never lost the ability to fly without wings. Eventually, he learned to control this power, but in Neverland, he was still viewed as an anomaly among among anomalies.

Before long, Gold and Soul were floating over a small little village. Soul was giving directions to the home as Gold followed them. Soon, the two were floating outside a second story window, peering inside with hopes of seeing what was going on.

Gold wasn't going to admit it, but he was excited. When he was younger, he remembered the mermaids telling him about their mothers. He always wanted to meet them, but alas, he couldn't breath underwater. So he was, to say the least, curious.

Inside, he saw a woman with gold eyes like his own, rocking back and forth in a rocking chair with a small bundle in her arms. The door behind her suddenly burst open, and what he saw made his heard plummet to his stomach.

A little boy, with black hair and gold eyes.

"Mama!" he exclaimed, rushing to her side.

"Shh," the woman scolded gently. "You'll wake your sister."

Gold was clenching the windowsill tightly, unable to tear his eyes from the scene.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Gold asked, glancing at Soul. Soul nodded with a bright smile.

"Look, Gold! That woman must be your mother!" she said, pressing her face to the glass. "You have her eyes. And that boy looks just like you! Your brother? Oh! Oh! And that baby must be your little sister!"

With each word from her mouth, Gold felt himself growing angrier. Why wasn't this woman, who may be his mother, mourning over her loss of him. Why wasn't she crying? Didn't she miss him? Want him back? Why was she paying attention to these two kids instead of searching for him?

Scowling, he floated away from the window as Soul continued to coo over the smaller children. After a few moments, the brunette nature fairy popped up in front of his face.

"Gold! What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I've obviously been replaced, so I'm not needed here." he said, continuing to fly through the sky.

"Gold, I don't think..."

"It doesn't matter." Gold shook his head, a grin on his face to reassure his friend. "Don't worry about it, okay?" he poked his in her stomach, reminding himself to do so gently as to much force from the tip of his finger, to her in her tiny size, would be like him taking a cannonball to the stomach.

He glanced up at the sky, eyes settling on the second, bright glowing star to the right. Just through there, straight on till morning, was Neverland.

"Lets just go back home, okay?"

o.0.o.0.o

Johto was being threatened by war, and many men were forced to leave their families to defend their country. Likewise, many women were also forced to care for the injured soldiers. Likewise, one little girl with bright blue pigtails was forced to watch her father get drafted and her mother run to nurse soldiers. She herself was left in an orphanage, sometimes sobbing at the aspect of loosing her parents.

"Crystal?" she turned with tear-stained cheeks, glancing in the doorway. The woman who ran the orphanage smiled, walking inside the room of the twelve-year-old girl.

"What?" she sniffled, wiping her tears away.

"Your mother wanted me to give you this." she crossed the room, holding up a doll with black hair, amber buttons for eyes, and wearing an odd little elfin outfit. She recognized the doll. It was a small thing her grandmother had made for her mother when she was a young girl. It was supposed to be that of a boy she met when she was younger, named Gold.

"It's Gold." she said quietly, taking the doll from her and holding him up. "The boy who never grew past sixteen, and lived in a magical world called Neverland."

"I first told your mother about Gold and his adventures. Soon enough, she began to spin her own tales of the boy. She loved entertaining the children here with the whimsical tales." Crystal looked up at her. "I need you to tell the stories too. These are hard times, and these kids need something to hope for. You're one of the older ones here, and I need you to help me take care of them. Can you do that for me, Crystal?"

Slowly, Crystal nodded.

"I can." she responded, finding her resolve. "I will."

"Good." the woman gave her a big hug, then left the little ten-year-old in her room. About an hour later, just as she was about to settle for bed, she heard something out in the hallway. Narrowing her eyes, she wrapped her arm around her Gold doll, and sat up in bed.

"Who's there?" she demanded. From the hallway, a small head peeked in the room.

"Crystal?" she turned her head, recognizing the long blond hair on the short boy.

"What are you doing on the girls side?" Crystal scolded. "You know you're not allowed."

The younger boy, four years her junior, lowered his head.

"The older boys said they were gonna smother me with a pillow." he said. "They said it was 'cause I tattled. Can I stay here with you? At least for the night?"

Crystal paused, recalling the owners words earlier, then scooted to the side, pulling up her blankets and making room for the younger child. In a blink of an eye, the boy had leapt into bed. Crystal blinked in surprise, then patted his head in a comforting manner, like an older sister would to a little brother.

"Night, Crystal."

"Good night, Emerald."

o.0.o.0.o

Unfortunately, the war last many more years than the people thought. Bombs were dropped on the capitol, Goldenrod, and the little orphanage was struggling to survive as more parents died, food rations became scarce, and more devastated children filled the halls of the orphanage.

In an effort to protect it's children, the government declared that all of them must be moved to the country side for safekeeping. Of course, the parents flocked their children to safekeeping. Any child under the age of sixteen had to go, and soon, they were gathering up any young men and women who hadn't gone into the war, between the ages of sixteen and twenty, to act as surrogate parents to the children in an effort to ease their pain.

In times such as these, it's no wonder teenagers grow up fast, quickly becoming adults and discarding silly things like Gold, the boy who remained sixteen forever, and Neverland.

A chikorita splashed through a puddle, sniffing at the ground curiously.

"What is it, Mega?" a blue-haired young woman asked. The sixteen-year-old came up to her pokémon, holding a package in her hand and a satchel in the other. She was donned in a dark cloak with the hood up. The little chikorita looked up with a grin, hopping around an old hopscotch outline, done in chalk.

Crystal rolled her eyes, slipping the package into her bag and scooping up the pokémon.

"I'm to old for that and we don't have time." Crystal chastised. "We need to get this home to Emerald." she held up her now full purse for emphasis.

Suddenly, a loud alarm went off. Crystal jerked, face flickering in panic. The alarm meant bombs, and whether it was practice or real, she couldn't be sure.

"Oh no..." she murmured, suddenly bolting through the street as lights in homes went off around her. She knew what this meant. They were turning of lights to make them lesser targets, and they were retreating to shelters. Heart hammering, she hurried through the streets, planes flying overhead with soldiers turning on floodlights to spot the planes so they could shoot them down.

Mega squirmed in her arms, growling towards the sky. Crystal glanced up, widening her eyes.

"Oh my Arceus!" Crystal exclaimed. She ducked under some old rubble, clutching Mega tightly as the ground shook and explosions made her ears pop. Gritting her teeth, she slowly opened her eyes, swallowing to regain her hearing. Panting from the fear, she slowly got up. Mega struggled, unwilling to leave the semi-safety of the rubble. "Come _on_ Chika. We're not out of the woods yet and this is liable to collapse any second. We have to go!"

Then she bolted back in to the street, hood falling and blue pigtails, somehow defying gravity, popped out. She smiled slightly as her target came on sight, practically throwing herself against the door.

"Ruth!" she cried out. "Ruth, let me in! It's Crystal!" The door suddenly flew open, and she stumbled in, nearly dropping Mega.

"Crystal! Crystal!" Emerald ran up to her with a bright grin on his face. "You're here, you made it past the pirates!"

Crystal rolled her eyes at his antics. Despite being ten, Emerald seemed to always believe the whimsical stories told by the orphanage owner. The plump woman stuck her head up from the burrow they had dug, where the few that were left of the orphans still resided. Crystal shot her a disapproving look at filling the blond boys head with stories.

"Here, Emerald." she said, passing the parcel to him. "Happy birthday."

"A present!" grinned Emerald, snatching the present from her and tearing the colorless paper from the package in his lap. Though being ten years old, the boy never seemed to grow up past being five, both literally and figuratively. Sure, Crystal had reasoned. he was among the older, so it had to be an act, but Ruth seemed to _encourage_ it.

It drove her utterly nuts. This was a time of war and sorrow, and she was simply putting up a false front, a veil of illusion over they eyes of children. While she herself didn't want the young one's to be tainted with war, she also didn't want them to believe bombs were canons from pirate ships and that Gold and his Lost Boys, mermaids, fairies, and the 'good pirates' would come to the rescue.

No mythical group of teenagers would rescue them from a war.

"Socks." Emerald pouted, holding up the gift as if they were offensive. "Two of them."

"Of course." Crystal said, rolling her eyes. "I got them a size large so you can grow into them."

"Now that's just insulting." Emerald spat back, crossing his arms. Ruth smiled.

"Come along, you two." she said, gesturing for them to come down. Crystal didn't waste a second, following her down. Some children were smiling as they came back down.

"Mama Ruth, I wanna hear a story 'bout Gold!" one of them cried out.

"Alright then. How about..." she trailed off as Crystal cross the room to the radio, putting headphone on to listen to the broadcast. She needed to have a list of what they needed next time they went out. She titled the list in the margins, 'Things Needed'. "The time Gold stole Captain Archer's ship, right out from under his nose!"

"That's a good one!" a child giggled. Crystal furrowed her brow as she tried to make sense of the static around the radio message, jotting down notes on her list.

"It was a misty night," Ruth began. "And Archer was sure he had found Gold's hideout once again. So he and his crew of bloodthirsty pirates went ashore, leaving their ship, the Rocket, unguarded. Informed by his mermaid friends, Platinum and White, Gold slipped aboard with the Lost Boys."

"Silver, Ruby, Dia, Pearl, and Black!" one of them cried. Crystal glanced over her shoulder, slowly moving the headphones from her head.

"On board, Gold found Archers remarkable treasure, full of crowns and gold and jewels and all sorts of rare and valuable items! Gold told the boys they'd hide it, and they'd have to hunt them down to get it back! You see, it was all a great game to Gold, and he knew that his gijinka friends, Jade, Onyx, Opal, and Carnelian, would _never_ pass up a moment to mess with the evil pirate. But that was when..." she paused for dramatic effect. " _He_ arrived."

The children gasped.

"Captain Archer grinned a malicious grin, and a ferocious sword fight began between him and Gold. Unbeknownst to the captain, there were traders in their midst."

"Was it the good pirates?"

"Indeed it was! Red, Green, Sapphire, and Topaz may make up a small crew, but they were good pirates nonetheless. Seems they had a similar plan to Gold, to rob Archer of his treasure. Seeing as they had the same goal, they decided, just this once, to work together.

"Lightening flashed, and suddenly, Gold was pinned by the evil pirate! Laughing an evil laugh, he pointed his blade to his throat. "Give up, boy!" he declared with an evil grin. Gold, ever the defiant delinquent, stared back with a grin. "Never!" he said. And at that moment, three figures with fluttering wings appeared."

"Blue, Soul, and Yellow!" a little girl shrieked happily.

"They were in their larger, human forms, as all fairies can control what size they are. Using their magic, they covered the ship, and the Rocket lifted into the air. Platinum and White, with their ability to control water, managed to maneuver Red's ship from its hiding spot, and stationed it right under the ship, where the Lost Boys, the good pirates, the fairies, and Gold all escaped. "You haven't seen the last of me, Gold! I'll get you for what you've done! If it's the last thing I do!" Archer cried out vengefully, though Gold took it with a grain of salt, as Archer could never truly beat Gold."

A pause.

"So you see, children. Archer will never win, so long as there is faith, trust, and fairy dust."

Crystal rolled her eyes, standing up with a shake of her head.

"Yay!" the children cried out.

"I'll be Gold!" Emerald declared. "You guys can be my lost boys and the fairies and the pirates and the mermaids!"

Soon, the children were bouncing about, happily reenacting the story. Crystal let out a grunt as one of them bumped into her, sending her notebook flying into the dirt.

"My notebook!" Crystal cried out, reaching for the object and shaking dust from it.

"C'mon, Crystal!" Emerald exclaimed, grabbing onto her arm. "We can beat Captain Archer together."

"I don't have time for your games anymore." Crystal sighed. "I've got a lot to do."

"You used too." one of the girls whined.

"You were the first Lost Girl." a boy reminded.

"That was a long time ago."

"Yeah, back when you were fun!" Emerald shot back, then immaturely sticking out his tongue. Crystal didn't respond, simply sat down at the desk again, adjusted the radio, and put the headphones back on to see if she could recreate her list.

o.0.o.0.o

"Honestly, Ruth," Crystal said as they both walked inside with the last child, everyone else in bed. "I don't know why you fill their heads with such silly stories."

"They aren't stories, Crystal." Ruth said, "You know your mother-"

A sudden knock on the door caught their attention.

"Here, take the little one to bed." Ruth said. Crystal blinked, trying to see what was going on. Quickly, she put the last child to bed and then headed back down the stairs, hiding in the shadows to see what was going on. Ruth slowly opened the door.

"Good evening, ma'am." Crystal recognized the army uniform. "Evacuation notice for any young men or women ages sixteen to twenty. The young lady who lives here, Crystal, is on list for the morning train."

"What?" Ruth exclaimed. "No offense, sir, but you can't take Crystal when children are still here."

"I'm under orders, ma'am."

"Then listen here," Crystal said, coming down the stairs. "If you have room for me, you have room for the children. They go before me, sir, and I'll only go with them. There's only five left, you took all the others. Surely you have room for five more kids?"

A long pause.

"I'll see if I can get an officer rounding up the children to do rounds." he said. "Be ready to go in the morning, Miss."

And with that, he walked out the door. Crystal turned to Ruth.

"I'm not leaving." she said simply.

"Crystal, I don't think you have a choice."

"But you said so many years ago that I had to stay here!"

"I said you had to tell stories to the children, and that's why they want you there. To be a mother, and tell stories in replacement of the mothers that the children have lost. Tell them the stories of Gold. He needs them, Crystal. And you do as well."

"Ruth, I've grown out of those stories! They aren't true! What are you going to tell me next? As long as we have faith, trust, and fairy dust, everything will be fine? That the good pirates will save us from the war? That mermaids will tell us where to go? Those are all just stories! They're _meaningless!"_

"No they're not." both turned to Emerald, standing halfway through the stairs with the Gold doll in his hands, rubbing his eyes. "They're all true. Mama Ruth says your Mama saw Gold."

"Enough, Emerald!" Crystal exclaimed. "Story time is over. Look outside your window. It's a war! Gold and the Lost Boys isn't real, mermaids, fairies, and pirates don't exist, and people don't fly!"

"Yes they do." Emerald insisted. "You believed it once too. Your Mama said she met him."

"My mother has nothing to do with this!" Crystal shot back. "Grow up, Emerald! You're ten years old today! It's all just childish nonsense!"

"You're a liar!" Emerald shot back, turning on his heel and jolting back up the stairs.

"Crystal!" Ruth said. "How could you treat him that way? He's like a brother to you!"

Crystal jolted, but said nothing. Ruth began to climb the stairs.

"You think you're to old for childish stories, yet you're acting like a child now. You may think you're an adult, but you're just sixteen. You're still a child."

Crystal watched as the climbed up the stairs, picking up the Gold doll along the way, and going to comfort the blond boy. Crystal, in response, went to her room, and slammed the door shut in frustration, going across the room to the window seat and curling into a ball.

Crystal did not cry very often, but at that moment, warm tears dripped down her cheeks. She didn't want to leave Ruth or Emerald or the other orphans in this wartorn wasteland. She had to be there for stability, so they didn't get lost in fantasy. Slowly, she turned her gaze back to the window, then opened it.

She remembered her mother telling stories of Gold, how she apparently went ona grand adventure with him.

"Second star on the right," she muttered. "And straight on till morning."

Apparently, that was where the great Neverland was, but down below was were sirens wailed, firemen trying to put out fires from the bombs, and she was yanked back to the cruel reality that was her life. Slowly, she shut her windows with a click and curled onto the window seat, away from the stars.

Neverland didn't exist.

Mermaids weren't real.

Fairies weren't real.

Gijinka's were legends.

Pirates were just in stories.

And Gold and his Lost Boys didn't exist.

o.0.o.0.o

"You told that action story for Iri, didn't you?" Aini asked while crossing her arms. V smiled.

"I think he deserves it, don't you."

"Well, it was a long time coming." Aini sighed. V shook her head.

"I know."

o.0.o.0.o

 **Wow, so, I'm tired. Anyone ever watch Peter Pan 2, return to Neverland? I was born in 1998 and that movie came out in 2002, and was, like, a staple in my childhood, before I watched the actual Peter Pan movie. It's going to be a bit of a challenge to have Gold, playing Peter, fall in love, but I've got an idea going in my head, and i'm pretty excited for it.**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	18. Crystal in Neverland Part 2

"It smells in here." Aini whined, plugging her nose as she came into Iri's room.

"It's paint." V responded. Aini crinkled her nose. "Daddy and I were working in here."

"I don't like it." Aini huffed.

"It's givin' me a headache." Celina whined. V smiled, patting her head, then crossing the room to one of the two windows and pushing it open, mimicking the action with the other window.

"I'll open the windows to air it out." she said. "And we'll read on the couch tonight? Okay?"

"Okay!" Iri exclaimed, bolting out the door.

"He's really excited." Celina said, sticking close to her mother. "He's been wondering what's gonna happen next, when Gold was gonna appear... When he and Archer were gonna start fighting..."

"Very soon, Celina." V smiled. Coming down the stairs, Iri already bouncing excitedly on the couch. "Though I think you should tell your brother that."

"Okay!" Celina chirped, jogging up to Iri. "Iri, Mommy says Gold and Archer are gonna fight soon!"

Iri let out something akin to a boyish squeal, practically jumping into the air in anticipation as V sat down.

o.0.o.0.o

 _Crystal in Neverland, Part 2_

A creak of the gutters outside is what roused Crystal from her sleep. At first, she merely grunted, chalking it up to the house being old or a pokémon landed on it.

Still half-asleep, she suddenly became very aware of the sounds on the rooftop. Was there a horde of pokémon up there? She groaned, flipping over so her back was to the window. Things went undisturbed for a moment, so Crystal settled back down, sleep about to take her...

When the sound of the window suddenly unlatching punctuated the silence of the room.

Crystal's eyes snapped open, and, for a moment, she saw the shadow of a man, illuminated by moonlight. Gasping, she whipped around to confront the intruder, only to see nothing but an open window. Immediately, she began trying to find reasoning for the odd shadow, her window being open. Of course, she was dreaming of the shadow, and the wind or a runaway pokémon opened her window.

But wasn't the window latched?

But, simply to calm her racing heart, the young woman stuck her head out the window, looking left and right, and seeing nothing on her roof, not even a pokémon.

"See Crystal?" she berated herself, reaching for the window and shutting it. "You imagined the whole thing. Just a worthless dream."

Firmly latching the window closed again, she rested her head against the cool glass. For a moment there, she thought amusingly, that outline of that man almost looked like a man in pirates clothes, a rapier at his waist and a hook on his hand, the signature of the notorious Captain Archer of the Rocket. Ruth's stories and Emerald's wild imagination truly must be getting to her...

Suddenly, a small creak echoed behind her.

Slowly, she looked over her shoulder.

"Hello," an older man's voice said, hook glinting maliciously from the moonlight filtering through the glass. His voice was full of pride, and spoke to her as if she were a child and he the adult, having beaten her in a game. He was not the only one in her room. There were several other pirates, each with swords, one, in particular, holding a coil of rope. "Quartz."

"Quartz-" she barely managed to say before one pulled a gag over her mouth with so much force, it actually dragged her off the window seat. After knotting it behind her head, the hunched over pirate with the ropes set to securing her hands. She shrieked into the gag, kicking anyone who got to close.

Suddenly, sirens wailed outside. Had Ruth or another orphan heard what was going on, and called the police? Had they gotten here so soon?

Though Archer watched on with what seemed like mild amusement, when the sirens went off and spotlights shined into her room, he seemed to loose his cool for a moment.

"Curses!" he exclaimed, looking out the window, leaving her to the hunched over pirate. "Bring her down!"

Crystal suddenly realized why they had sounded the alarms. A huge, flying pirate ship came down outside her window. No doubt they thought it was an enemy plane, and they planned to shoot it down. Some pirates put a plank from the ship to her window. Archer turned, looking slightly frantic as the hunched over pirate continued to try to subdue her.

"Hurry, Petrel!" he exclaimed. While Petrel looked up from tying the rope around her waist, she managed a good kick to the chin, sending him knocking back with a squeal of pain.

Suddenly, ropes encircled her ankles, and she found herself staring at another blue-haired man.

"Should have taken care of those first, idiot." he said.

"Well, Proton-"

" _Hurry!"_ Archer ordered as he leapt onto the plank and hurried aboard his ship. Proton smirked at Petrel, then hefted Crystal up, literally hurling her her out the window and into the arms of another pirate. All to quickly, Crystal found herself being tossed from one pair of disgusting arms to the next, then landing painfully on wood. "Set sail, you worthless maggots!"

She grunted at the ship suddenly was hoisted into the air. No way this pirate ship was flying. No way...!

Suddenly, the ship jerked, sending her rolling into the side, shoulder painfully throbbing at the contact. She heard something grinding against the brick sidewalk below them, causing the ship to actually tilt, forces fighting for the upper hand. Archer, standing next to her, cursed under his breath.

"Raise anchor, you idiots!" he exclaimed. Crystal saw some pirates beginning to hoist the anchor, and though they sent a jeep flying and destroyed several chimneys, they suddenly, they were flying free again, her hopes of getting free or being rescued becoming dimmer and dimmer with each passing moment.

"Chika!" Crystal blinked at the familiar sound, glancing down at Mega, who was chewing at the ropes binding her arms to her sides. Had she snuck aboard? She attempted to send some encouraging words to her pokémon, but decided against it. Her grunts a muffled words might catch the attention of a pirate, and that might make them notice Mega. She didn't want to know what they would do to her only companion if they were willing to kidnap a girl for... whatever reason.

At this point, she was to terrified to find reasoning. Why would a gaggle of men kidnap a sixteen year old girl? Well, a few reasons were fairly obvious. These men obviously didn't care for bathing much, so the prospect of women actually approaching them was probably rare. All she could pray that _wasn't_ why they trussed her up and threw her on a ship. With each moment the rope refused to loosen, her reasoning and logic was quickly replaced with a heart pounding fear she hadn't felt since her mother and father were drafted as a nurse and soldier respectively.

Sudden fear at her fate was replaced by a new one. Airplanes. Airplanes were divebombing and shooting at them, and the pirates were jerking the ship this way and that to avoid the assault. Crystal suddenly found herself sliding this way and that across the smooth wood, separated from Mega all to quickly for her liking. She couldn't even see the grass-type between the feet of hurrying grunts, trying to get the ship to safety.

Her back rammed into the side of the ship, nearly knocking the wind from her. Pigtails whipping around her head, she sat up, glancing at the world below. Spotlights were still searching for the ship in order to get good aim to fire. Just as she was sure that one spotlight got good sight of her, the soldiers below able to see that there was a kidnapping in progress, a pirate wrenched her back, sending her rolling along the shipdeck, unable to stop where she was landing and what she ran into as both her arms and legs were still firmly tied.

Suddenly, there was calm. Crystal was on her back, exhausted from the endeavor she was forced to go through, and simply stared at the calm, cloudless night sky.

Then there was a burst of color.

Crystal widened her eyes, simply staring at the kaleidoscope flashed above her, voices suddenly surrounding her.

" _It's so weird!"_ a cheerful female voice exclaimed. " _He just started flying and he never stopped!"_

 _"We have our own beef against Archer and his pirates."_ a male voice mused. " _We gijinka's like a challenge. I say we partner up, yeah, Jade?"_

 _"We'll get back at that *bleep*ing *bleep*."_ a rough girls voice said. " _*Bleep*ed magikarp."_

 _"We used to be members of Archers crew,"_ a male voice said. " _We were exiled from the ship for not wanting to hunt down Gold."_

 _"Hello, Gold! Coming to Mermaid's Cove again?"_

 _"MY NAME IS BLACK AND I'M A LOST BOY!"_

 _"I'll get you Gold! I'll get you for what you've done! If it's the last thing I do!"_

 _"You really don't want to stay, Quartz?"_

 _"I have to go back..."_

 _"Goodbye, Quartz!"_

 _"I'll always believe in you, Gold!"_

Crystal swore she heard the voice of her mother, or at least, a maybe teenaged version of her, among the voices in the void of color. It was surrounded by voices of many young men and women, even Archer's voice mixed into it. At this point, Crystal was so exhausted and confused, that all she wanted to do was curl into a ball and sleep.

"Land ho!" one of the pirates shouted as the sky suddenly went from headache inducing flashes of color to clear and beautiful blue, untarnished by any sort of cloud or smog. Crystal suddenly felt herself being dragged to the edge. Holding the back of her neck, whomever had her forced her to look at the small island below her, rainbows circling it. To Crystal, it looked like a little slice of paradise, with mountains and beaches and jungles...

"Recognize it, Quartz?" Archer said in her ear. "Of course you do. You love Neverland."

Crystal could practically hear the pride in his voice. She let out a disapproving grunt, jerking away from his grasp, unwilling to accept the little island below her. Archer stared at her with amusement, as if finding her struggles funny.

"Don't quite remember _you_ being so stubborn and feisty, though." he said, turning his attention back to the island, officially ignoring Crystal.

She had heard the pirates call him Archer on multiple occasions, and pretty much everyone referred to her as Quartz. Crystal briefly remembers that Ruth always commented on how similar they look, with exception of hair color. She always remembered her mother being a blond, claiming 'blonds were the most fun!'.

But then again, there were always those dark roots...

Crystal, given her mother's personality, honestly wouldn't have put it past her to have dyed her hair into a more 'fun' color.

"Heh," Archer chuckled, turning away from her. "I've got a little surprise for you, Gold."

Crystal let out a muffled squeak of surprise? Gold? Impossible...!

"Drop to the ocean!" someone yelled. "Prepare to anchor!"

"This is simply perfect." Archer continued to gloat. "Yes, Petrel, Proton, Ariana..." Crystal blinked, seeing Archer talking to two men and a woman. Already recognizing Petrel and Proton as the men who tied her up, and assumed the redheaded woman was Ariana. "With Quartz as our bait, we shall lead that *bleep*ed boy to his doom. Someone!" he shouted. "Summon the beast!"

Crystal blinked as a couple of grunts picked up a bucket of... something, and dumped it over the edge. Crystal wasn't sure what was going on, but then she was suddenly pulled to her feet, the ropes around her waist being tugged at.

"Set the bait!" Archer ordered. Crystal suddenly felt herself dangling over the edge of the ship. For a moment, everything was fine, when suddenly, air bubbles began forming. Crystal blinked, narrowing her eyes as she tried to see what was in the debts below her. She suddenly screamed into the gag as tan tentacles began smashing above the water, red eyes glowing through the dark blue.

A... A tentacruel?! How on earth was it so _big?!_

Crystal suddenly found herself terrified. A true blue shot of terror. She had always been used to being so in control. She has always been the surrogate mother for the children at the orphanage, making sure everything ran smoothly and efficiently. She made sure everyone was fed, everyone was happy, and everyone was _safe._

Suddenly, all in the course of less than an hour, she had every ounce of control wrenched from her. Not only was the kidnapped from her home, bound and gagged, and yanked into an impossible world, now she was dangling, utterly helpless, over a beastly creature who looked prepared to kill.

o.0.o.0.o

Gold watched amusingly from above as Archer smugly spoke.

"No doubt, Rockets!" Archer exclaimed. "That boy will be nothing but a notch on my belt after this!"

At this, he swooped down, snatching the hat off his head with a laugh.

"Only in your dreams, Karp!" he exclaimed, putting the hat on his head and flying behind the sail.

"Gold!" Archer exclaimed as he sliced a hole through the sail and burst through it while doing a backflip. Tossing the hat in the air, he expertly sliced it to bits, grinning down at Archer.

"Well, Well." Gold grinned. "I didn't know a Magikarp could talk." he turned to the human sized young woman fluttering next to him. "Did you, Soul?"

"Not in the slightest!" Soul giggled.

"Blast them!" Archer shouted, pointing at them with his rapier.

"Take you best shot, Captain!" Gold exclaimed, expertly dodging a cannon. Another whizzed by Soul.

"Yow!" she exclaimed, shrinking down. "Much to close for comfort, Gold!"

"Come on!" Gold mocked, watching humorously as the pirates tore their sails apart trying to hit him. Suddenly, something whistled over his head. Gold ducked his head, turning to face the pirate with the hat. "Striiike one!" he shouted. Another swing. "Striiike two!" a third swing and another miss. "Strike three! You're _out!"_ and, as if on cue, a round of bullets cut through the rope ladder he was standing on, sending him hurtling to the deck below.

Gold grinned, deciding to occupy his time by swinging around on a rope. He could tell Archer was irritated with his incompetent grunts, as he was rolling his eyes. Gold was, however, surprised that he lost hi furious and annoyed look, and adopted a rather calm face.

"Get down here, boy." he finally said, pointing his sword at him. "I have, ah, something for you."

"A present? For me?" Gold paused his spinning, resting on the rope with a grin on his face. "Aw, you shouldn't have."

"Call it a token of the affections." he said, turning around and slamming the blade into his hook, metal clanging off metal. "She's an... old friend of yours."

"A friend?" Gold mused. Well, he said 'she' so that crossed off the Lost Boys, Onyx, Carnelian, Green, and Red. Gold was also fairly certain he could cross off Topaz, Sapphire, Jade, Opal, Yellow, and Blue as well. Yes, they were his friends, but if they were captured, he was sure that Red's crew would have already rammed Archers ship. As for Jade and Opal, Onyx would have set the ship ablaze and Carnelian would have used some seaweed to strangle Archer.

So that left Platinum and White, the mermaids. But the mermaids were so terrified of the captain that they bolted the minute he appeared.

Then who could it be?

"Who?" he finally asked after a moment of contemplation. Archer chuckled menacingly. Slowly, he raised his sword and pointed.

Gold followed his gaze and saw a young woman, roughly sixteen, with blue pigtails. She was swaying back and forth, bound and gagged, occasionally jerking as she struggled to get free. He wasn't entirely sure if she noticed his presence yet, but he heard the water splashing below. He snapped his gaze back to Archer.

"Perhaps you're drawing a blank?" Archer mused. "Don't _tell me_ you don't recall the person who almost made you leave Neverland for good!" he sighed. "Ah well. Say goodbye to your precious Quartz."

"Quartz?!" he exclaimed, both in surprise and rage. When Quartz said she was leaving Neverland, he never expected her to come back. But the fact that Archer got his hand and hook on her, why, it made him want to slice off his other hand and feed it to some other animal.

Archer raised his blade, planning to cut the rope that held her aloft.

"Don't you dare, Archer!" Gold exclaimed, whipping his dagger from his belt and shooting down towards the pirate. "You cowardly karp!" their blades clashed in momentary fighting. "Let her go!"

"You want her, boy?" Archer smirked, shoving him to the side and whipping around. "Well, go and get her!" and with that, he sent his blade flying. Gold watched in horror as the sword sliced the rope holding her aloft. As if in slow motion, the rope slid through the pulley. The only thing that snapped Gold out of his shocked revere was Quartz's shriek, loud, shrill, and terrified, even through the gag, punctuated by Archers cackles.

In a split second decision, he leapt over the edge after her, stabbing the tentecruel with his dagger as he tried to spot her pale nightgown and navy sweater among the water.

o.0.o.0.o

Crystal screamed as loud as she could into the gag as she fell, suddenly cutting herself off as she smacked against the water. Naturally, she tried to swim, but with her limbs tied, she couldn't move.

Needless to say, she sunk like a rock.

Suddenly, a flash of black and white shot by her. Crystal craned her neck to see a blunette and brunette mermaid, the former with a platinum black tail and the former with a pale white one. As she sunk, they seemed to be calming the beast down, perhaps telepathically.

Her lungs began burning, begging for air. Just as she was sure death was the only option out of this, a pair of arms wrapped around her and began pulling her up, past the monster, past the mermaids, all the way to the surface. He wrenched the gag from her face once they broke the surface, and actually kept going up. One arm was behind her shoulders, the other under her knees.

"I did it." she heard Archer sigh with relief. "I finally rid myself of that wretched Gold." a pause, as if it was sinking. "Free of that wretched Gold forever!" with that, he let out a bellow of laughter. "Petrel! Who is the greatest man to ever terrorize the shores of Neverland?"

"Um..." he trailed off thoughtfully. "Red?"

A _CLANG_ resounded across the ship as Archer smashed his hook on Petrel's head. Slowly, he turned back to the rest of his crew, holding his hook up menacingly.

"Anyone?" he said threateningly. Under the pressure of his terrifying glare and the unconscious Petrel, they began chanting his name.

Suddenly, the chest she was leaning against swelled from a large inhale of breath, then her rescuer let out a howl akin to a pokémon.

"Did ya miss me, Captain?" he asked.

"Oh, look at his face!" Crystal turned her gaze to a pigtailed brunette, holding Mega in her arms a she fluttered, full sized, next to Gold. "Priceless!"

"How did you escape the beast?!" Archer exclaimed, rushing to the edge and looking over. As if to answer his question, a spurt of water smacked him in the face. He scowled, whipping water from his face as he stared down at the two mermaids.

"We are still perturbed about dumping that _filth_ in our cove." the one with the platinum tail said. The brunette mermaid giggled.

"Platinum, this big guy say's he's hungry!"

"Oooh, what better dish for a big fella like that than a Magikarp?" her rescuer hinted, nudging the fairy with his elbow. The pigtailed girl grinned, setting Mega on his head.

"Sounds delightful!" she giggled, doing a full backflip before sprinkling what looked like glitter over the water below. Crystal could feel her mouth drop as the enormous tentecruel suddenly rose from the water, floating next to her for the briefest of moments...

Before Soul dropped her arms to her side, allowing the beast to fall into the deck, right on top of Archer. The pirate somehow managed to escape the beasts mouth, though now the tentecruel seemed to see him as a meal, as he dragged the screaming Archer into the water.

All to quickly, Crystal watched as Petrel tried to climb across the plank so he could save his captain, only for the pokémon to spit Archer back up out of the water and send him flying into the trap door to the lower decks.

A moment of silence.

"Petrel." a rather calm voice said.

"Um, yes Captain?"

"Do me a favor and fix the plank. So I can _make you walk it!"_ Petrel suddenly burst from the door in fear, running away from his enraged captain as he climbed back onto the top deck.

At this point, her rescuer was already laughing, flying back to a rock in the middle of the ocean. All at once, Crystal realized she was being carried by a random stranger, and began jerking, trying to get away.

"Easy does it, Quartz." he laughed, undoing her ankles while the girl got to work on her arms. "Oh, the look on Archers face when I-"

She cut him off by kicking him in the chin, sending him summersaulting back.

"Okay, _ow."_ he said as she shook herself free of the ropes, standing up. "What the hey, Quartz?" The girl behind her had shrunk down again, flicking behind the boys ear.

"She's scary." Crystal faintly heard her mutter. Deciding to ignore her, Crystal began looking around, assessing her surroundings. She was on some rock in the middle of the ocean, near an unknown island, with her kidnappers on a ship maybe a mile or so away. She refused to acknowledge the two mermaids staring up at her curiously, as well as the boy floating next to her.

Suddenly, realization hit her, and she snapped her gaze back to the boy. Messy, raven black hair, elf-like clothes, ability to fly, enemy to pirates, a fairy companion, friend to mermaids, and gold eyes. He seemed just as confused as her, pointing at her face and hovering uncomfortably close, getting closer the more she backed up, mouth agape and unwilling to admit what was clearing in front of her.

Suddenly, there was no more room for her to go back, and she was falling over the edge.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, whipping around her and pushing her back up onto the rock. She quickly put as much distance as possible between her and him, pointing at him.

"...Gold?" she finally said. Gold was rubbing his chin, as if trying to massage the pain from her kick away.

"Well, you're sure not Quartz." he finally said.

"Are you okay?" she glanced over her shoulder at the water below, seeing the two mermaids looking up at her, concerned.

"White and... Platinum?" she murmured.

"She looks like her, Gold!" Crystal heard as the fairy fluttered in front of her again.

"Soul?" she asked, furrowing her brow. There was no way they were real. Mermaids and fairies don't exist, and Gold is just a legend. Honestly, all she could chalk it up to was a very, very realistic dream. "How funny." she muttered, rubbing her temples. "I'm dreaming." she glanced at Gold. "You're not real."

Suddenly, cannon fire exploded. The two mermaids blow them gasped, ducking under the water for safety while Gold wrenched her down against the rock. A cannonball whizzed over their head, landing on the island with a audible explosion.

"Gold, you double-crossing pipsqueak!" they heard Archer yell as they both looked up. "Come back and fight me like a man!"

"Come and get me, ya Magikarp!" Gold shouted back.

"Don't taunt him!" Crystal exclaimed as another cannon whizzed over their heads.

"Come on! We've gotta get out of here!" Gold said with a grin, tossing her up in the air as another cannon blasted between them. Crystal let out a shriek as the explosive nearly hit her, falling onto Gold's back. Soul grew full sized again, scooping up Mega and bolting into the sky.

"Wait!" she exclaimed. "What's going on?! What are you doing?!" the last word ended in a shriek as the rock they were running across exploded. "Oh, my Arceus, we nearly died!"

"So if you're not Quartz," Gold said, seeming to take great joy in having her balance on his hands and shoulders. Crystal, on the other hand, was on the edge of either a mental breakdown or a heart attack, she wasn't sure which. "Who are you?"

"I'm her daughter!" Crystal exclaimed as she was falling, suddenly on Gold's back again. "Crystal!"

"Daughter?" Gold mused. "Well, if you're Quartz's daughter, then you're gonna love it here!"

o.0.o.0.o

Archer glared venomously at the spot Gold had gone with Quartz. That *bleep*ed boy had somehow outsmarted him again. The captain swore time and time again he had tried everything less than capturing one of his friends.

Wait a minute...

Why hadn't he interrogated the girl for that annoyance's hideout?!

"Captain!"

"What. Do you want. Proton." he growled, turning to look at him.

"While you were fighting Gold," he said arrogantly, crossing his arms. "I actually thought up a new way to take him down." Catching his attention, Archer stood, glancing at him.

"What is it?"

Proton gestured forward and watched as they dragged another girl on board with hands chained behind her back with steel shackles. This one was perhaps fifteen or so, with brown hair in pigtails at the nape of her neck, opal pink eyes glancing nervously around her, though her face remained placid, as if trying to not show how fearful she really was. Behind the crest of her bangs was a set of jolteon ears, and Archer immediately knew who she was.

"How did you manage to get the gijinka leader's younger sister?" Archer asked.

"It was pretty easy. This one is curious. We just lured her from her partner and poof, immediate bait."

"So what's your idea?" Archer asked.

"I say we blame the kidnapping on the Lost Boys and Gold."

"Onyx will be so enraged he won't listen to reason." Archer mused. "He'll sentence them to death almost immediately."

"You're seriously underestimating my brother." Opal suddenly exclaimed. "He may be a hothead, but he's not stupid enough to not coming searching for me or to believe you!"

"Yeah, but if you're dead, sweatheart," Ariana suddenly said. "He'll be so wracked with grief he'll take his rage out on the first person to point the finger. You're his sister, dear. Surely you'd speak if you thought he'd do something different?"

Opal fell silent, ears dropping as she was well aware that she was very much correct. Onyx was extremely overprotective of her, even more so than the rest of the tribe. Should she suddenly go missing or die, she knew Onyx would scorch half of Neverland to find the culprit, if not Carnelian loosing complete control over his fragile powers and turning the plants and jungles into monsters. Stricken by grief and rage, no doubt the two would snatch up anyone who was blamed and would kill them, despite what levelheaded Jade would say.

Upon remembering the glaceon gijinka, she smirked.

"Well, joke's on you, Karp!" she said, followed by a raspberry aimed at Archer. "My big bro will listen to Jade, and she'll suggest a search party. They'll scour the island before he goes and convicts the Lost Boys so _ha!"_

She shut her mouth, satisfied with her finish. He confident smile quickly faltered as Archer smirked.

"I wonder what your 'big bro' would do if, say," he smirked. "One of their pranks went _horribly wrong_ and you drowned out in Dead Man's Rock?"

Opal swallowed uncomfortably, suddenly wishing the steel shackles around her wrists didn't negate all her electric attacks.

o.0.o.0.o

Crystal wasn't quite sure when they had stopped, but they had stopped out of no where, in the middle of a lovely little cove. She was resting on a rock, trying to get her bearings after Gold flipped her this way and that through the air.

"You okay, Crystal?" she blinked as White hovered over her, water dripping on her face. Crystal jerked back, glaring at her.

"Don't scare her, now." Soul said with a gentle smile.

"We apologize in advance for Gold's behavior." Platinum said, looking pointedly at the boy, who was doing backflips for fun. "He's reckless and cares little for what goes on around him."

"You don't say." Crystal murmured, sitting up. She blinked in surprise, seeing that the two girls had skirts and legs instead of tails. "Why do you have legs?"

"We're special." White said. Figuring that was the best response that she was going to get, Crystal rested her head in her hands. This had to be a dream, right? There was no way she was in Neverland, no way she got kidnapped by Captain Archer, and it was definitely _impossible_ that she got rescued by _Gold._

"This is great!" Gold suddenly said, yanking her up by her hands, completely cutting off her denial. "You can stay here forever!"

"I can't stay here forever!" Crystal shot back, yanking her hands back.

"You're no fun!" Soul laughed, still holding Mega. Crystal glared at her, then snatched her pokémon back.

"I have responsibilities back home." she stated curtly. "I can't stay here."

Gold and Soul glanced at each other, then laughed. Crystal fumed. Were they laughing at her? Gold must have been extremely foolish, then. He had obviously felt her kick earlier. Why on earth was he laughing at her?

"You idiotic..." she trailed off, standing up and raising her leg. "Manchild!"

"Yow!" Gold exclaimed, ducking as her foot nearly hit his temple. "*Bleep*it, Crys, are you crazy?"

"Crys?" she blinked, then glared. "My name is _Crystal."_

"I don't think she likes Crys." Gold mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He then snapped his fingers, leaning in to her face again. "I know!"

"Back off or I'll kick you."

"Super Serious Gal!" Gold said, ignoring her earlier demand. "That's what I'll call you."

"No." Crystal responded. "Take me home." Gold grinned, glancing at the mermaids, both of which rolled their eyes.

"Gimme a kiss."

Crystal snapped her gaze to him.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't get me wrong," Gold said, crossing his arms behind his head. "I've got girls tripping over me on this island. Who wouldn't? Dashing good looks, expert with dagger, strong physique, hero to all... I honestly don't blame them." he grinned at her. "I'll take you home if you give me a kiss."

Crystal suddenly found herself very, very angry. She was very much aware of Gold's reputation, what from the stories Ruth and her mother told her. How, not only did he never age, but he was a philandering moron who chased everything in a skirt. Looking back on the stories now, Crystal as fairly certain that if it weren't for the fact that he had the Lost Boys, there'd be a trail of broken hearts with his trail of adventure. And the fact that he considered her to be one of his... one of his Neverland _floozies_ was all the more insulting.

With a glare that could kill, she opened her mouth.

"How about you take me home or I give you a swift kick in the-" her curse was cut off as Gold yanked her into the air again.

"My, my, Super Serious Gal, were you about to _swear?"_ Gold teased, tossing her up like she was a rag doll. While Crystal was usually one to hold her tongue, she was prepared and ready to let out a string of curses worthy of a pirate while dealing with him. Gold howled with laughter before she could utter a word. "Oh, man! Topaz would love you!"

"Gold!" He paused, glancing over his shoulder. Soul was fluttering next to him, still full sized, holding Mega. Suddenly, two lights, blue and yellow, fluttered in front of them. Crystal blinked as they suddenly became full grown teenagers, one with blond hair and one with brown. She almost immediately recognized them from the stories; Yellow and Blue, the two fairies who spent a majority of their time around the good pirates.

"We hurried as quickly as we could." Yellow panted, resting on the rock.

"What's going on?" Gold cocked his head.

"Onyx's taken the Lost Boys captive." Blue explained. "He thinks they kidnapped Opal!"

"Oh." Gold shrugged, tossing Crystal up again.

"Aren't you worried?!" Crystal exclaimed.

"They'll be home in time for supper." Gold stated simply.

"That's not all, Gold." Yellow said. "Onyx is mad. Really, really mad. If we can't prove their innocence, then they're probably gonna be executed!"

"Huh." Crystal felt like she was going to be sick if Gold threw her in the air one more time.

"Don't you care that your friends are in danger?! You're supposed to be their leader!"

"I'm telling you, Super Serious Gal, they're _fine."_ Gold insisted. "Onyx and I are buddies. We mess with Archer together."

"Gee, what a great basis for a friendship." Crystal muttered sarcastically. Gold let out a huff of irritation.

"Platinum! White! Watch out for Archer, I think I *bleep*ed him off by screwing up his plans!" he suddenly exclaimed.

"I assure you, Gold, we can take care of ourselves." Platinum responded.

"Blue and Yellow, you go back to Red, see if he can search the outer islands for Opal." as the two fairies flew away, Gold jetted into the air with Crystal on his back.

"Gold!" she exclaimed. She was ignored, however.

"I'm going to prove to you that the Lost Boys are just fine!" Gold said, ignoring her squeals at their speed. Soon, they were hovering over a dead-looking tree with a noose on one of the branches, Crystal demanding he stop. Suddenly, he did stop, actually listening to her. She sighed in relief, glancing at him.

"You really need to learn to li-" she was cut off as she was suddenly falling, sliding down a winding slide. At the very end, it arched so she was flying in the air, only to land safely in Gold's arms.

"Wasn't that fun, Crys?" he asked with a laugh. Crystal was to bewildered and motion sick to even think of responding. Gold gently set her down then turned. "Now I'm going to prove you wrong. Lost Boys!" he shouted, cupping a hand around his mouth. "Fall in!"

There was a moment of silence as Gold stood with his hands on his hips, Crystal having taken a seat on a bed. They both waited, Gold's confident and arrogant smirk slowly slipping into an irritated frown.

"Lost Boys!" he shouted, pounding on a wall. "C'mon!"

Nothing.

"What happened to proving me wrong?" Crystal asked, a hint of smugness behind her irritated tone.

"I don't get what's wrong." Gold huffed. "They usually always respond."

"Maybe it's because your friends," she refused to acknowledge that they were fairies. Simply refused. "Said they were captured!" Crystal snapped at him. Gold blinked.

"So we have to prove them innocent!" he said. Crystal blinked.

"Oh no." she shook her head. "They're _your_ Lost Boys. _You_ prove them innocent." she turned, set on walking away.

"Sorry, Crys," Gold said, suddenly scooping her up from behind. "You don't really have a choice!"

o.0.o.0.o

"What a cruddy note to end it on." Aini whined, stomping up the stairs to her room with Iri and Celina behind her.

"I thought it was really nice, Mom!" Celina smiled.

"Suck up." Aini sneered. Celina stuck her tongue out at her in response.

"I like it!" Iri grinned. "You should be a story teller!"

"A story teller?" V mused.

"Yeah! Tell stories and get rich!" Iri grinned.

"You should, Mom!" Celina agreed.

"It's stupid." Aini huffed. "Who would pay money to hear stupid stories?"

"I would!" Iri exclaimed. "I'd pay my whole dollar!" he grinned up at his mother. "A whole dollar!" he emphasized.

"Keep your dollar, sweetie." V responded, ruffling his hair. "Bedtime for you. We'll get to part three next week."

V watched as her three kids went to their respective bedroom, awaiting the lights to go out.

Suddenly, there was a childish gasp.

"Mama!" Iri slammed his door open, successfully alarming his two sisters. "Mama!"

"Iri?" Celina asked, immediately concerned while Aini sauntered down the hallway with her arms crossed.

"Mama, the stars are on my ceiling!" he cried out, rushing back into his room. He stuck his head out, as if wondering what was taking them so long. "Hurry! Hurry! They might go away!"

V gently prodded her two daughters into the room, smiling as Celina gasped, Aini's mouth dropping for the briefest of moments. True to what Iri had claimed, little stars were on his ceiling, now painted navy with silver glow in the dark paint, making them look like the actual night sky.

"Dummy, that's just paint." Aini finally said, though not quite able to take her eyes off the sight.

"No it's not!" Iri exclaimed. "It's the stars!" he beamed at V. "Mama and Daddy captured the stars!"

o.0.o.0.o

 **To clear up any misconceptions: Quartz is simply a name for Crystal's mother in this story. She's not an OC, she's not anything other than Crystal's mother. She never had an established name, so I gave her one.**

 **Anyways, sorry for the late update. Lotta stuff's been happening and I just haven't had the time to write. I hope you enjoyed the update though!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	19. AUTHORS ALERT

**So, everyone, I decided to start this story up again. Sorry it took me forever, but I wanted to finish Enlightening the Soul first!**

 **Plus, I had an idea tumbling through my head which dictated the fate of this story.**

 **So I had this idea swirling around in my head for a little bit because of an old movie I rediscovered recently.**

 **I thought about picking up Bedtime Stories(which totally got brushed under a rug), complete it, then, once I get farther along in the Adventure Saga, make another Bedtime Stories under the title:** ** _Bedtime Stories; The Saga Edition_** **. This story will focus on stories with the main/side characters of the Adventure Saga(if anyone bothered to read the saga). While Bedtime Stories focused primarily on more mainstream fairy tales, like Cinderella and The Beauty and the Beast, The Saga Edition will focus on stories that are hardly as mainstream, and will have a few more creative liberties. In fact, the stories I have in mind barely have the recognition they deserve(and one isn't even a fairy tale, it's a song).**

 **Also, there will be this really awesome subplot which I'm hoping everyone will participate in. Basically… It's a male OC contest, but I'm not going to give any more info on that because I've hardly developed this contest as of yet.**

 **But Amy! The faithful reviewers cry out. We care not about your future plans, we want to know what's going on now!**

 **Fear not, faithful reviewers! Here's my plan. The plan, so far, is for me to finish this by completing Crystal in Neverland and continue on to the other ships. The ship that is winning the most right now is Franticshipping, then Agencyshipping. I have a story for Franticshipping partway planned out… But I have no clue what to do for Agency, which sucks because Agency is my most favorite ship!**

 **Also, I need to catch up with the manga, because I do want to write stories for the other dexholder ships(BlakexWhitley, XxY, and SunxMoon) but this posed problems. Like I said, the fairy tale themes here are popular, mainstream fairytales. So I'm thinking about exing my OC ships to not only "finish" this quicker, but also have more tales available for other ships.**

 **So, here's the breakdown:**

 **This story is back in session. But I have no clue what to do with Agencyshipping, which is the only non-OC ship that I planned on writing that doesn't have a story.**

 **Any suggestions would be much appreciated.**

 **Finally, should I ex my OC ships, JadexOnyx, OpalxCarnelian, and my only cannonxOC, PearlxTopaz?**

 **Feedback would be much appreciated, thank you!**


End file.
